


Six Strangers Walk Into a Bar

by Theyreonlynoodles



Category: Near Dark (1987)
Genre: Always expect angst with me, Angst, Canon typical kidnapping, Dom/sub Undertones, Eventual Smut, F/M, Mental Breakdown, Mental Instability, Smut, Trauma, Vampire Violence, Vampires, au where Jesse wasn't a confederate, au where caleb turned and wasn't found by his dad, cursing, dark content, found family or stockholm syndrome? we'll never know, homer never met sarah, mae and caleb are in love, severen and caleb are friends, takes place several months after the events of the movie
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-04
Updated: 2021-02-21
Packaged: 2021-03-15 13:21:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 36,445
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29189964
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Theyreonlynoodles/pseuds/Theyreonlynoodles
Summary: Your down on your luck, drinking your troubles away when six strangers walk into a bar. One of them, a very handsome brunette that's sick of fifth wheeling.
Relationships: Caleb Colton/Mae, Diamondback/Jesse Hooker, Severen (Near Dark)/Fem!Reader, Severen (Near Dark)/Reader, Severen/reader
Comments: 12
Kudos: 17





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This story is gonna be slightly dark, and it's my first fic for the Near Dark universe! Hope you guys enjoy!!

You sat at a bar, nursing your drink in the little booth you had picked out for yourself. This wasn't your usual hangout, or your usual idea of a Saturday night. But, in a town where everyone knew everyone, you just wanted to be around some faces that weren't so familiar. You didn't want the church mother's of your old friends from highschool coming up to you and asking,

"How are things? How's that beau of yours? How's your job hunting going? What about school?" With steel eyes that could see through all of your bullshit. Well, to start, you caught your boyfriend cheating on you with one of the waitresses from the diner. And your job? Well, you guessed you could toss that waitressing application in the trash because there was  _ no way _ you were working shifts with the woman your ex had shacked up with. And school? Let's just say things weren't fairing much better since you still had no idea what you wanted to do. So, things were shit. Hence, bar and drink.

You ran a finger around the cup, thinking about what the hell you were going to do with your life. At least you still had your trailer, a dingy little thing your mother had begged you not to move into.  _ You were such a proper, nice girl, and you didn't need to be living there or with him _ , you heard in your mother's voice. Who knew she'd end up being right? But, without your boyfriend to pay rent, you were sure that that wasn't going to last long. You sighed, finishing off the drink and raising your finger for another. Whatever cash you still had you were planning on spending it tonight. Perhaps, if you were lucky, you'd drink until you passed out and then you'd be the bartenders problem. You grimaced when you looked up at the white-haired old man. Okay, maybe you didn't want to be  _ his _ problem. You could go back to being your mother's problem, and, maybe, you could use your reputation as a nice, proper girl to your advantage for once in your-

Everyone turned when they heard the door hit the wall as it opened. It seemed the usual patrons had been surprised that you'd even come to crash their smudge on the county map, but when six others walked in? Well, hell, this bar sure was  _ popular _ tonight.

You looked around the room. With yourself, the bartender, and the one waitress, that meant there were twelve people. You were sure that was the most people this bar had seen in a  _ long _ time. You watched as four of them walked over to the booth behind you, and you turned around to look them over. They were definitely from out of town. You recognized the others in the bar, knew their faces from church, the stands at football games, or from your very own yearbook. But this mismatched group? You'd never seen any of them in your life. You guessed that they were probably a family passing through, and you got a good look at all their faces. But, you quickly went back to staring at the wall the second you caught the eye of the oldest man in the group.  _ He must be the father _ , you thought. He'd given you the heebie jeebies, and it was easy to tell who his wife had been. That left the other two to be their children, or, well, you supposed. You watched as two men headed to sit at the bar, and, from how you'd seen the blonde girl and the one boy, the one with the light brown hair, holding hands, you guessed that perhaps the blonde was just his girlfriend.  _ Those _ two were their sons.  _ Family roadtrip _ , you mused to yourself as the waitress sat your drink down, and then went to take their order. You looked down at the cup, and then at the men sitting at the bar.

The one with raven dark hair turned to look over his shoulder, almost as if he could feel your eyes on him the second they landed. He sent you a toothy grin, and you noticed just the smallest gap in-between his two front teeth. It was charming, as was the man himself. You didn't even have to hear a pick-up line from him for him to catch your eyes and make you bite back a smile. He was tall and handsome, albeit a little scruffy. Rugged, you'd dare say. He was handsome enough to earn the description, that was for sure. He seemed to achieve with ease what every guy you knew from highschool was shooting for. All he wore was a pair of jeans, a tank top, a flannel, and a black leather jacket, but it looked  _ good _ on him. You wouldn't even lift a brow at the spurs. He had the beginning of a five o'clock shadow, but a pair of shades shielded his eyes. Still, you watched as he pulled them down, just to send you a wink. His eyes were blue, and you were almost shocked. You couldn't remember the last time someone had flirted with you. You and your ex, well, you'd been highschool sweethearts. And in a town where everyone knew everyone? No one would dare to even try. And you never thought someone as handsome as him would either.

The man next to him gave him a light shove, but you missed whatever comment he had thrown his way. It was quick to catch his attention, but the raven haired man was far less quiet.

"I'm not doin' nothing," He said with a shake of his head and an easy grin. "And the only reason I bitch about you spending all your time with Mae is because I get stuck with  _ Homer _ ." He said, his voice carrying even over the music from the jukebox and thumbing towards the rest of their family.  _ Definitely brothers _ . You thought. But something else struck you.  _ Mae. Homer. _ You could guess who Mae was, but you weren't sure which one of the guys in the booth behind you was Homer until, to your surprise, the kid said,

"Fuck you, Severen." Only to earn a quick delivery of the expected motherly reply,

"Homer, language." And there it was. Suddenly, three out of six were no longer strangers. Including, the man who had interested you most.  _ Severen _ . It was a nice name. An  _ old _ name. You weren't sure you'd ever even heard of it before. And Homer? You guessed one of their parents had to be a history buff or something to drag out two names like that. It was a nice one nonetheless, one that fit the man a little too well. It was mysterious and new, just like the man that bore it. But, those thoughts quickly left your mind as others started to filter in. You were single. For the first time in  _ years _ . Hell, you'd never even so much as slept with someone besides your highschool sweetheart and now- Well, wasn't this exactly what you were hoping for? A painless rebound, or, more specific, something to make you forget about how shitty things had become? If only just for a night. 

Again, this was a town where everyone knew everyone. Picking out someone new was bound to be a struggle, and you were sure it would be the perfect wooden spoon to stir the pot. The gossip mill would have a field day no matter who you tried to shack up with. But, worst case scenario, the rumor mill heard about it and they wouldn't even have a face or a last name to match. No one to ask for their side of the story, and you could always dispel the rumors by saying you just wanted to see if they were moving into town. If a drink was bought between the two of you, that was just southern hospitality. And if you made a fool of yourself? Well, he probably wouldn't be staying long anyways. Best case scenario? You got a night that didn't have a 75% chance of dissatisfaction, and maybe that would be the kick in the ass you needed to get your life straight.

It was decided. You downed your drink in one sweep, and stood to your feet the next. You weren't going to think about it, you were just going to do it. It didn't matter that you'd hadn't flirted with someone in what, three years? That you had no idea how to start a conversation and that you were already two drinks in. That was what you told yourself until the second he looked over his shoulder. He gave you the same charming smile, and you took a sharp left and went straight for the bathroom instead.

You cursed yourself with every step towards the ladies room. Both of the bathrooms were tucked at the end of a hall, one that's light was broken, with the jukebox on the other side of the wall for the ladies room. It was surprisingly loud, and it made it impossible to hear near a damn thing. You nearly yanked your hair out the second the door swung closed behind you, and, even if you were sure you could scream in here and no one would hear, you settled for an angry groan. You were an idiot. You swung and you missed by a  _ mile _ . You hadn't even been able to say anything to him! Your stomach was in a twist, and you kicked one of the stalls. Okay, that hurt. Perhaps you weren't completely drunk yet. 

You took the unplanned bathroom break to fix your hair, wash your hands, check your teeth, and pop a mint. You sighed as you leaned against the sink, wondering just how long you should stay in here to make it believable. Reading what everyone has written on the walls was surely one way to kill time. You checked your watch, and you decided it had been around five to ten minutes. You sighed, giving yourself one last once over before you left the bathroom. It wasn't your best, but it wasn't supposed to be. Tonight was supposed to be a night for yourself, not a night picking up the hottest guy you think had ever graced the county line. You wore a crocheted sweater, one loose and breathable for the summer weather, and a long skirt to match. Something unassuming and weather appropriate. You sighed, considering tying your hair up when you decided it was just better to leave it down. Hell, if you stayed another second in this bathroom you thought that they were gonna start to think that something was wrong with you, so you pushed the door open and walked out into the hall. 

You'd barely made it back into the light of the main part of the bar before your back hit the wall. There was a low whistle and crushing grip around your neck. Your gasp was cut off, and your hands went to tear the hand from your throat. The grip eased up and it wasn't choking, merely holding you with an impossible strength and trapping you. A voice rang through the bar, and it was the voice of the brother. The lighter haired one. The one not currently pining you against the wall.

"Shit, I nearly forgot about you." He said, and his girlfriend, Mae, laughed. They were dancing, spinning with something red dripping down his chin. Only her lips were red, but she didn't even spare you a glance. Your eyes flicked to the male closest to you, and you saw the same exact thing. They all seemed to have the same splash of red, but his went down his chin to his chest and it took you a moment to guess what it was.  _ Blood _ .

Your heart sank and a pit started in the bottom of your belly. A black hole of fear eating you alive, and tears started to pool in your eyes. You didn't understand, you hadn't  _ seen _ , but you could guess from the bodies littered around the room. You couldn't even see all of them, but you made another quick guess. You were the last one. You felt a hand brush your hand behind your ear, and you nearly began to shake when hot breath fanned the side of your face. He had to lean down to get close, and a million ideas ran through your head. You could scream, cry, claw- But you quickly decided none of it would make a difference. There were six of them, and one of you. His voice was smooth in your ear as he said,

"Well, hello, darlin'. I nearly thought you had made a split for it and I was gonna have to run you down." He said, and his  _ voice _ \- His voice was joking and charming as if he wasn't saying exactly what he was. It made you shiver and whimper when he leaned in, sucking in a breath that you realized was him smelling your scent. You felt a single tear spill over, and your face instinctively pulled away. Unintentionally baring your neck. He nosed along the column of it, and you could feel the wetness, the blood, smear onto your skin as he followed your neck up to your ear. Chuckling into it. Humming into it. 

Your mind was on hyperdrive, fighting the cloudiness of the drinks from earlier and trying to come up with a way, any way, to get out of this. Perhaps, it was the alcohol, but your tongue felt particularly loose.

"No, I-I-I went in there because I was going to offer to buy you a drink, but then you looked at me and I-" You clamped your mouth shut, stopping the appendage from telling any more of your secrets as you felt another tear slip down your face. Your eyes had slipped closed, willing everything all away as if it was nothing more than a nightmare. You could feel his hot breath on your face, smell alcohol on his tongue. Smell something metallic that you knew had to be blood. A sob left your lips when he let out a puff of a laugh, and asked,

"And you what?" You heard the chittering of laughter from what you knew was his family. This was all a big joke to them.  _ You _ were a big joke to them. Like an ant caught under a magnifying glass. Your voice was a squeak when you finished, prompted by the squeeze from the hand around your neck.

"And I got nervous." You admitted, and your eyes peeled open to see him send you the same charming grin. Albeit, less charming from the blood staining his teeth. You watched as he pushed his sunglasses into his hair, so his blue eyes were staring right back at you. 

"Nervous?" He echoed, and you could hear how he was making fun of you in his voice. You blinked back your tears, trying your best to come up with some sort of resolve. When you didn't speak, he continued, "All I had to do was look at you to make you nervous, sweetheart? Well, honey, if that doesn't flatter a man then I don't know what will." He said, ending it with a laugh as he looked over at his family. His parents were smiling, and his brother and Mae didn't really seem to be paying either of you much attention. Homer was drinking from a glass, and your stomach lurched when you saw something red sloshing within it. You looked over when you felt something brush your side, and saw that he had taken to leaning against the wall. The hand loosened around your neck almost entirely, and he reached up to seemingly play with your ear. The other hand rested almost above your head, and he leaned on it. "So, say you bought me a drink, then what?" He pressed, and, for a moment, you stared at him in confusion. You opened your mouth, but words escaped you. You were beyond confused. They were killers. You could see the evidence all around the room and on their faces. Why the hell was he asking about this? When his eyes lost their spark and his hand went to wrap back around your neck, you pushed the words out of your mouth.

"I-I don't know. I've never done it before. I was- I was probably just gonna try to get to know you or-or something." You looked over at his parents, as if for a modicum of help. Or an explanation. Your tears had retreated simply from your sudden confusion, but you still felt as though any sudden movements could have your knees giving out. Severen grabbed your chin, turning your face back towards him. He didn't say it, but the command was clear.  _ Eyes on him _ . 

"Is that all?" He said, shaming his head as he leaned closer to your face, his voice laced with cruel humor. He was messing with you. Delaying the inevitable. You swallowed the thick lump in your throat and decided you didn't have a thing to lose.

"I was- I was probably gonna invite you back to my place. If I- If I liked you." You added the last bit, if to just make you seem a little bit less desperate. Still, your response earned another smile, and this one looked positively satisfied. You tried to suppress the flush of your cheeks, the beating of your heart. If there wasn't blood covering his face, you were sure he'd be making you weak in the knees for a whole different reason.

"Well, do you like me?" He asked, and his voice was teasing. Flirting. It was a clear flirt, not a figment of your imagination. You stared at him, confusion, fear and embarrassment all having a cock-fight in your mind. But, before you could answer, a deep, unfamiliar voice cut through with a clear southern accent on his tongue.

"Severen, do  _ you? _ " The older man, his assumed father, asked. But, your eyes didn't leave Severens face even as he turned to look at the man. He scoffed, shaking his head for a moment as if he couldn't believe he was being asked. Or interrupted. But the question rang in your ears. You assumed this was normal behavior. That, perhaps, Severen liked to play with his food. He seemed the type.

"Am I not allowed to talk to a lady?" He asked, gesturing to you. But his mother, or who you assumed to be his mother, cut in as well,

"Not if we don't wanna be caught out here during daylight." She said, a similar drawl leaving her lips. What she said didn't do anything to help your confusion, but you could piece together most of what was happening. They were urging him on. Like a couple of parents tapping their watches as their kids picked out snacks at the grocery store. He sighed, letting his head fall and shaking it before he lifted it back up to look at you. You hadn't moved an inch. From fear or straight up giving up. But when your eyes met, you stared at him hard. You clenched your jaw and you braced yourself for whatever he was going to do, and you tried not to tremble when he reached up to thumb your cheek. But you were interrupted again by the same voice. "You did already eat tonight…" She said, trailing off to let her words hang in the air. It was a silent push towards something, but you had no idea what. Severens thumb went down from your cheek to swipe across your bottom lip, and you refused to flinch.

He grinned for a moment, before he backed up and off completely. He took a few steps back, furthering the distance between you. For a moment, you thought you were going to fall but you gripped the wall behind you to keep you standing. You watched them all, gaging each of their every moves. His brother twirled Mae, and the two went behind the bar. As did his mother. You flinched when you heard the first glass being broken, and your eyes widened when you saw the wall erupt in flames. They ran up the wall, and another thrown glass of alcohol only made it bigger. Severen held out a hand, gesturing for you to come to him as he said,

"Well, are you gonna help or what?"


	2. Chapter 2

The six of you had climbed into your car. It was a station wagon, a 1984 Chevrolet Caprice. It was a gift from your parents, right when you'd graduated highschool. It could just barely fit the seven of you, and you had handed your keys over to Jesse, the now named father of the bunch, without much hesitation. You sat in the very back, pushing your back up against the side of your car and staring at the brunette in front of you. He did the same, so the two of you could face the other. You stared at his shirt and ran over the things that you knew.

They had killed everyone in the bar, except you. They had burned the bar down. You had helped them, no matter how reluctantly. They were heading to your trailer to lay low for the day, as the sun was due in only a couple of hours. Which you had been stupid enough to offer. And they weren't going to kill you. Yet. Why was still a mystery to you. 

You had given Jesse directions, but all he really needed was the street name and the map out of your dashboard. He'd assured you he could figure out the rest. It took you a moment to realize that it might've been out of distrust. 

Severen was staring at you. He had one leg brought to his chest, one arm using it to prop it up. His arm laid outstretched, hand jolting with each bump on the road. His legs were stretched out, mingling with yours. You met his eyes and stared defiantly back. His gaze was unwavering, a smile growing on his face with each second you stared. It took a few minutes, but, finally, you broke. You looked away, looking at the couple just in front of you. Mae had her head resting on Calebs shoulder, with his arm slung around her. Homer was sitting besides them, and you found that, besides the mean look he gave you, he was content to stare outside the window with his arms crossed. He was the closest to you, besides the man across from you. Diamondback had the map in her hands, and she was acting as navigator.

"You got a name?" Severen asked, and your eyes snapped back to him. He was sending you a small curl of his lips, one that hadn't decided on being a smile or a smirk just yet. You gave it to him, just as easily as you'd given Jesse your keys. If you wanted to stay alive, you figured cooperating was the only way to do that. He nodded, but you didn't think he'd be using it anytime soon. He had a variety of nicknames he preferred, but perhaps it was for the other members of his group. "I'm Severen." He said, and you almost hated his voice. You hated how he could make _anything_ sound good, even his own name. If he had a hat, you'd imagine he'd tip it at you. He placed his hands on his stomach, interlacing his fingers as he lifted his brows and said, "So, live alone?" And you almost wished you could slip back into the silence.

"Yeah, I," But you paused, debating on what he actually needed to know. "I live alone, but my parents live in town." You said, and he hummed. 

"Space from ma and pa?" He asked, and you could hear the same humor from before in his voice. Seemed like Severen just liked to be the tiniest bit of an asshole sometimes. But he also seemed to like you. At least, enough to keep you around. You just gave him a nod, deciding to save the details for yourself. It was Homer that turned around and cut in, asking,

"How old are you, anyway?" And you looked at the boy. He was chubby, and he couldn't be older than thirteen. But the way he talked? He talked as if he'd had a chip on his shoulder for at least ten years. You supplied your age, and he sneered. "Little young for you, Severen?" He said, and your brows furrowed. Severen didn't look much older than you. He couldn't have been older than twenty five. Maybe late twenties if he had good genetics. But, from the way Severen leaned forward and practically growled a,

"Shut up." You guessed that couldn't be true. You stared at him, confusion evident in your eyes. He stared at Homer for another second, but this? You didn't have to guess what was going on between the two. It was a clear silent look of telling Homer to keep his mouth shut, and Homer only signaled his surrender when he huffed and turned around in his seat. 

You felt a dip in the road, and your eyes turned instinctively out the window. You were here. You were home. You'd never once dreaded it before. You told Jesse which house to park at, and he didn't have any trouble finding your usual spot. The tire tracks in the grass made it a little too easy. He turned your car off, and they all piled out. It was Caleb that opened the back for you and Severen, and you let Severen go first. He held out a hand to help you out, and you took it politely. He pulled you out of the trunk and placed a hand on your lower back to keep you steady. The contact had your stomach swimming, but you pushed those feelings away and walked forward. You didn't see Severens slightly dejected expression, but you heard him close the trunk of your car. Your fingers were nearly shaking as you climbed the steps and fished for your house keys, only to realize when Jesse passed them to you. You didn't see the look that Jesse and Diamondback shared, but you unlocked the door and thanked god that you'd forced yourself to clean your trailer to try to get yourself out of your depressive state. It hadn't worked, but it made you feel better about having company. 

The left side of your trailer was your living room. It had a couch pressed up against the width of the wall, with a tv pressed against the opposite wall and tilted so the couch could see it. To your immediate right was the kitchen and kitchen table. It had a corner booth, one that allowed two people to sit together. Maybe three if you didn’t plan on opening the front door anytime soon. The kitchen was pressed against the opposite wall, and then there was a hallway. The hallway led to two bedrooms and a bathroom. To its credit, the toilet worked and the shower had hot water. The bedrooms? Besides the one that you had claimed for yourself, the second one was nearly untouched. You and your ex used it as extra storage, but you’d been hesitant to really let it overflow just in case you ever- You cut that thought off. Your future plans, at least the ones including your ex, no longer existed. So, it was nothing more than a guest bedroom. You pulled yourself out of the way, deciding to head for the kitchen so they could drop their things.

“Nice place.” Jesse commented, but you thought it was out of politeness more than anything. You pushed your hair behind your ears, and you quickly said,

“Thank you. Feel free to put your stuff anywhere. It’s not much, um-” But the brother, Caleb, gave you a friendly smile as he set his bag down on the floor, and said,

“Trust me, it’s better than most of what we see.” And you couldn’t help but take that as a compliment and return his smile. He seemed a little different than the others. Like he had a little less teeth. While Severen, no surprise, seemed to have as much teeth as an eager dog. You looked between them, quickly remembering that you had been forgetting your manners. You had missed just the bit of jealousy in Severens eyes.

“There’s probably nothing on TV, but I have a VCR. The- The tapes are under the TV, and, um, help yourself to anything in the kitchen. The- The bathroom is right there, and there’s a guest bedroom. That’s your first right-” Your mouth was speeding off, trying to fill the uncomfortable silence. You opened the door to your fridge, pulling out a carton of orange juice and grabbing yourself a glass. Your nerves were wrecked as the events of the night slowly started to weigh on you. You drank the juice, trying to find something to ground yourself. It also provided you an excuse not to look at the six of them and a way to stop yourself from blabbing any more than you needed to. The tangy taste of citrus was better than the taste of the liquor you’d had at the bar, and you hoped it would sober you up completely.

It only took a few minutes for them to settle in your trailer. They each cleaned themselves up, with or without the help from your bathroom. Jesse and Diamondback took the kitchen table, setting out their guns and filling them with bullets. You tried not to gulp at the sight. Caleb and Mae curled up on your couch while Homer sat on the floor, rummaging through your tapes before he finally popped something in the VCR. Severen hung around the kitchen, and it took you a moment to realize it was because he didn’t have anywhere to sit. You grabbed the fold out chair that was wedged in-between the counter and the fridge, and set it out for him as you mumbled an apology. He smiled at you, taking the chair so he could turn around and sit on it backwards. Severen offered a game of russian roulette, but you declined when he offered to deal you in. You quickly rinsed out your cup and set it in the dishwasher, pulling your hair all to one side of your neck as you run your fingers through it. If this was any one of the past few nights, you would’ve taken a spot on the couch, dug into a carton of ice-cream, and cried yourself to sleep. But you couldn’t do that with six witnesses. So, instead, you fixed yourself a sandwich, offered to make them something, and ate it as you watched them play cards. For a moment, you almost felt settled. Until you watched as Jesse suddenly grabbed Severen’s arm.

“Woah, woah, woah. You cheatin’, Severen?” And you watched as he reached into his sleeve to check if he was. Severen defended himself with a quick, 

“I’m not cheatin’.” But there it was. A card that Severen had hid. They pulled their guns on eachother, laughing, and were quick to put them away as Jesse took Severens cards and put them at the bottom of the pile with a quick,

“Deal the cards.” It was a quick little thing, and it shouldn’t have mattered as much as it had. But, it struck you then, like how lightning strikes a tree. Severen was far too different than your ex. Far more handsome, mysterious, and light-hearted than he had ever been. But there was one thing they had in common. They were cheaters. _Maybe that's just my type,_ you told yourself glumly. But, suddenly, your hunger had dissipated. You swallowed the seemingly too dry lump of bread, and wrapped up the sandwich to finish later. In your current circumstances, you couldn't afford to throw away leftovers. You closed the fridge, and Severen tossed a glance your way.

Ever since you'd entered the trailer, he'd been keeping his distance. Hell, the second he'd decided not to keep you he'd been keeping you at an arms length. Maybe it was to let you come to him. Or maybe it was so he could keep an eye on you. Either way, you hadn't talked much, and it was Jesse that tried to coax you over now,

"Y/n, would you keep an eye on him? Make sure he's playing fair?" But it didn't sound like much of a suggestion. Severen moved, flipping his chair so he could sit in it properly when you began to cross the short distance between you and the table. He had patted his lap, but, before he could wrap an arm around your waist or offer you a seat, there was a banging on the door. It made you jump, and Severen was up out of his seat in a second. He was closest to the door, and, out of instinct, you grabbed his arm. He reached down, one of his big hands swallowing yours and giving it a reassuring squeeze. You heard clicks of a gun, and saw that there was one in both Jesse, Severen, and Homers hands. Your head nearly swam, wondering how the hell you got in a situation where a kid carried a gun. Severens height dwarfed you, and he blocked the screened window so you couldn't even see the outline of who was outside. Then there was a slurred call of,

"Y/n! Let me in!" And your heart sank. It was your fucking ex. You hadn't seen him in nearly a week, ever since you'd found him in this very trailer with a girl on top- You shook your head, shaking away the image that burned the back of your mind. You'd kicked him out, but it seemed he'd come crawling back. "Please, I need to talk to you." He slurred, and you thought you could hear the sound of him swigging back whatever he had started drinking. It was Jesse that said,

"I thought you said you lived alone." And your eyes were worried, almost frightened even, when you looked at him. You whispered back,

"I-I do. It's my ex." You explained quickly, and Severen muttered something besides you. It might've been just your imagination, but you thought you saw a twinge of jealousy in his eyes. You gripped his hand tighter as your ex started belly-aching. Most of it was unintelligible, and you nearly wanted to cringe. Yeah, he was a _great_ example of your taste in men. He had started going on and on about how he was sorry, and you nearly wanted to plug your ears. Scream until you couldn't hear him anymore. He was going on about how it was all a big mistake, but was it? Had it been? Wasn't the real mistake dating him in the first place? Your thoughts were quickly starting to spiral, and you tried to latch onto something else. So, you continued and said, "We broke up earlier in the week. I," You paused when you looked up at Severen, almost thinking that perhaps this wasn't something you should tell him just yet. _So early in- whatever this was,_ you thought. But the way none of them tried to interrupt and how he continued to stare forced you to continue. "I caught him cheating." And, there, you watched as his blue eyes seemed to become two rings of fire. You'd never seen him angry, but you guessed that he was the type to have a quick temper. Or, at least, an expressive one.

"We have to get rid of him." Jesse said, but it was Caleb that added,

"Quietly. He's probably woken up half the trailer park by now." And you looked between the two. They seemed to be the most even tempered men of this family, but, neither of them had a clue as to how they would do that. You were about to offer that you could get rid of them when Severen cut you off.

"I've got just the brightest idea." And you watched as he shrugged off his leather jacket to lay on the table, threw his glasses on the table as well tucked his gun into the back of his pants, pushed the chair out of the way, and headed straight for the door. Before he could open it, you quickly gestured for everyone else to head back towards the bedrooms. You watched as Severen straightened his hair, shook out his shoulders, and put on a smile while the five of them ducked back into the darkness of the hallway, guns drawn and eyes watching. You tucked yourself into the corner booth, so you'd be out of sight but could watch through a slit in the curtains. Severen unlocked and threw open the door, letting a cool,

"Evenin', friend." As he stared down into the surprised face of your ex. "I believe you have the wrong trailer." Severen continued when his mouth went slack with surprise. You watched as your ex looked over at the number, and then back at the brunette in your doorway. He rubbed his mouth, and then said,

"No, no. I'm looking," He paused to belch. "I'm looking for y/n. She's," He gestured to the number. "She's 24. She's my- She's my-" But he couldn't seem to get the words out. You looked over to see Severens smile falter. He was blocking the sight of you, but you could see him. It seemed as though your ex couldn't take a hint, but you decided to blame his drunken state. "Who are you?" Your ex thought to ask after a moment, nearly stumbling back as he looked him over. Severen leaned against the doorframe, putting a hand in his pocket.

"I'm the man that's been taking care of her the past few days." He said, an all too suggestive grin on his face. It was an easy lie, but it was one that hit the man opposite of Severen all at once. While he couldn't take a hint, it seemed that he could understand. "Severen." He added and held his hand out as if to shake, and you watched as your ex's face seemed to fill with anger. He pointed at the brunette, nearly grazing him with his finger as he said,

"Well, _Severen_ , I wanna hear this from _her_ ." He said, and you barely whispered a curse. _Of course he would,_ you thought. Severen shrugged, and then looked over at you. 

"Darlin'?" He called, but it was only for effect. You stood up from the booth, taking the exit closest to the kitchen and then sided up behind him. Now, this wasn't your usual state of dress, and it could definitely pass as home clothes. Severen wrapped an arm around your waist when you came to the doorway, and you had to lean against him in order to be visible. Severen didn't seem to mind, and gave your waist a squeeze. You looked at the pitiful man you'd once called your boyfriend, and stared down at his shocked expression.

"Yeah?" You asked, and he gaped like a fish for a moment. He looked between the two of you, and then said,

"Who the hell is this asshole? You- You replaced me? In a week?" And he had the _gall_ to sound hurt. It seemed the confrontation with a man he'd never seen before had done him some good and sobered him up some. You glared at him, and crossed your arms over your chest. Now, you didn't want to have an argument with him in front of Severens family, but you needed him to leave. And preferably not come back in the morning. You whispered his name with a shake of your head and then said,

"I believe he told you who he was," You said, and you didn't tilt your head away when Severen brushed a hand over your cheek. It seemed he enjoyed milking this for all it was worth, and you didn't catch the grin on his face as he leaned in to press a kiss to the side of your head. You sighed, closing your eyes for a moment as Severens hand moved up to rub your shoulder and his kisses traveled down the expanse of your neck. It was nothing more than a couple of pecks, and he only continued when you didn't shrug him off. The affection felt nice, almost nice enough to forget what had happened not even an hour before. But, even if you were mad at him, you knew you were doing your ex a favor. Your eyes fluttered back open. "You should leave." You told him, and _that_ seemed to sober him up completely. He opened his mouth and took a step forward, but Severens hand dropped and he was halfway out the door. A hand placed on your ex's chest. It made your ex stop, and, after a stare down with Severen, he pulled out of his grip and turned back to look at you to say,

"You can't kick me out. I'm the one that pays rent for this place." He said, and you clicked your jaw. You'd been so angry the week before that he hadn't even tried to argue with you when you threw him and all of his things out of the trailer. It seemed that after talking with his drinking buddies, or perhaps the waitress, that he had remembered that.

"With a job my daddy found you." You snapped back, and that made him shut his trap quick. You dug further, forgetting that the audience you had was more than the man besides you. "And _I'm_ not the one that screwed around. Why don't you go shack up with her, or did she kick you out too?" You threw the words in his face, and he took a step back from the weight of them. From the look on his face, you guessed that you might be right. Drinking buddies it was then. "Go sleep at your friends house or try the sheriff's department. They take drunks in all the time." You said, and Severen was quick to step back so you could snap the door closed. You locked it once again, and, after a moment of staring blankly at your door, he yelled,

"Well, how you gonna pay rent, huh? It's up in a week!" And you could practically hear your blood boiling in your ears. You couldn't stop yourself from yelling back,

"I'm not! You can have the freaking trailer back then!" And then you turned on your heels. The five vampires stuck in the hallway each pressed themselves against the wall to let you stalk back towards your room, and the sound of you slamming your bedroom door was heard even by your ex outside. Before your ex could get the final word, a neighbor yelled,

"Boy, leave the girl alone." Letting him, and everyone inside your trailer, know that they hadn't been the only ones who'd heard your spat. Finally, your ex retreated. Severen shook his head and laughed, letting out a little hoot before he looked at his family and said,

"She's a firecracker, ain't she?" 


	3. Chapter 3

It took you fifteen minutes to leave your room and rejoin the group. It had only taken about five minutes for you to calm down, but you spent the other ten running the events over and over in your mind. After those feelings of anger subsided, other less manageable ones surfaced. 

Like your attraction to Severen. You reached up to touch your neck, and you could almost feel the coldness of Severens lips on it still. It made you shiver, and you rubbed your hand over the length of your shoulder. Even when you'd been with your ex, you couldn't remember a time when someone had so blatantly protected you. When someone had made you feel the way Severen made you feel. You replayed the anger you'd seen in his eyes from even the mention of how he'd hurt you, and then the way he'd stopped your ex the second he'd looked like he was going to do something rash. Your ex had never hurt you before, but Severen hadn't been willing to take any chances. You bit your nail, wondering just how you got to a point where a _murderer_ could be considered attractive to you. 

But, when you pushed those feelings away, other ones swallowed your stomach. If you were honest, you were mighty embarrassed. You hadn't meant to lose your temper, and you were sure that you weren't being as much as a gracious host as your mother had taught you to be. You'd yelled at someone, had a fight with your ex, in front of Severen, _and his entire family_. The only modicum of relief you gave yourself was that, technically, they'd done worse in front of you. Still, after you had completely calmed down, you left your room to apologize.

You stood in the hallway, and saw that all of them had seemingly gone back to what they'd been doing before your ex's intrusion. They all looked up when you re-entered the room, from the sound of someone approaching more than anything, and you tried not to let your face flush from the six pairs of eyes that found you. You pushed your hair behind your ear and said,

"Sorry y'all had to see that." You said, and went to busy yourself by getting a glass of water. You earned a round of chuckles in response, and Jesse soothed your nerves with a simple,

"Don't worry about it, kid." You looked over, seeing that he had found your ashtray and was letting a cigarette dangle from his lips. You looked over, seeing that Severen was doing the same. You quickly looked away, trying to push away the budding flower of attraction that was blooming in your stomach. Of _course,_ he smoked. It seemed Severen had a habit of finding every little thing you thought was attractive in a man. "Now, I still need you to make sure Severen doesn't cheat." Jesse continued, and you bit your smile back before hiding it behind the cup. Severen hadn't even glanced at you as he lifted his arm and gestured for you to come over, simply looking at his cards instead. You didn't know why you found it attractive, the utter certainty that you would listen. But, listen you did. 

You came over, deciding to stand and lean against him. It wasn't more than you had already done, you assured yourself. It was the only way to properly see his cards, and there was no harm in it. Those were the things you told yourself as his hand wrapped leisurely around your waist, and your arm wrapped around his shoulder. You saw the way Diamondback smiled at the sight, and you looked away to hide the growing blush on your cheeks. After a moment, your hand lifted to curl in his hair. It was surprisingly soft to the touch. Severen didn't say a word, but he grinned to himself. After watching for a moment, you said, 

"How will I know if he's cheating?" And this earned a laugh from the couple in front of you. You didn't exactly know what game they were playing, but Severen did a quick run down of the rules. You hummed, looking at his cards. It had bothered you before, his moment of cheating, but it dawned on you then that Severen would probably never do anything of the sort. Whether that was because of the watchful eyes of his parents, or the fact that he was of better moral standing. You bet on the former, but quickly you were asking yourself why it even mattered.

When your eyes started to get heavy and it became hard to stand, you decided that you were going to have to take your shower now or never. You'd excused yourself and grabbed a pair of pajamas to bring with you into the bathroom and a clean towel. You locked the door to the bathroom, stripped yourself out of your clothes, and let the warm stream of water wash away the events of that day. Or, well, night. After you'd done a thorough job of cleaning yourself and shaving, you stood there for an extra few minutes and tried to think of just what was supposed to happen the next night.

You weren't dead yet, and it was close to dawn. Neither Severen nor his family had tried to hurt you after the bar, and it almost felt as though you were- Well, there was no other way to put it, but _one of them_. An accomplice. Accessory to a crime. You let out a small sound, covering your face with your hands when you realized that's exactly what you were. Even if they left the next night, that was never going to change. And you still didn't have any answers as to what had happened while you'd been in the bathroom, but you didn't have the nerve to ask. You didn't think you ever would. You sighed, rinsing your hair one last time before turning the water off. You dried yourself, changed into your pajamas, and were attempting to dry your hair as you stepped out of the shower. Your eyes were heavy and your body was relaxed, ready for sleep. You thought to leave some towels out and a pack of toothbrushes you hadn't yet gotten into, so they could shower and brush their teeth if they wanted to, and called a simple goodnight to your guests. If you could call them that. Just after you called down the hall, Mae passed you. It seemed she was going to take advantage of your offer, and you decided you could stay up a few more minutes to offer both her and Diamondback some of your clothes.

"Just to use as pajamas," You stopped to stifle a yawn. "And I can run a load." You said, gesturing to a closet next to the bathroom, where the washer and dryer were tucked inside. "And I think he left some of his clothes behind too," You said to yourself, walking away to go to your previously shared bedroom to check. You'd thrown all of his clothes out of the drawers, and whatever you had hanging up in the closet. But, tucked towards the bottom was a suitcase of his winter clothes or things he hadn't gotten around to donating. You lugged it out, but Severen was quick to jump up to help you. He grabbed the suitcase while you carried a trash-bag full of the clothes he'd wanted to donate, and Jesse cleared the table so Severen could set both of them on top of it. You gestured to the clothes as you said, "Have at it. There's sweats in the suitcase, but the bag is full of stuff that was too big." You ended the sentence with a mumble, your nails making their way in-between your teeth before looking over to Severen as you said it. He was taller than your ex, so you guessed that any luck he'd have would be with the bag.

"You sure he won't miss them?" Caleb asked, and you looked over at the light-haired brunette. He seemed to be the most considerate of the bunch, and you shrugged. You pulled your hand away from your mouth as you said,

"I'm the one that packed them, so…" As far as you were concerned, he wouldn't even know that they were gone. You left the boys to filter through what your ex had left, and went to let Mae into your room. She stood there in a towel as you gestured to some of your older clothes, or some things that you thought would fit her. When she decided on what she wanted, you left her in your room to let her change with her clothes in hand, and saw that Diamondback was going to use the shower next. She stopped you, reaching out to hold your arm as she said,

"Thank you. You've been very kind to us." And you could feel your face growing hot from the sincerity of her words. You tried to joke by saying,

"Just don't do to me what you did to those people in the bar, and we'll call it even." And you were relieved when it earned a grin. When Mae left your room in a comfy pair of your old clothes, you had already put her old ones in the hamper. You yawned again, and she placed a hand on your back as she said,

"You can head on to bed. We can do the laundry ourselves." And you assured her you could stay up a bit longer. Still, when Diamondback came out of the shower and picked out her clothes, she told you the same. You had a harder time arguing with her, and you accepted defeat by retreating back into your room and letting yourself curl under the covers.

You'd woken up with a dry mouth about half-way through the day. The only good thing about not having a job was that you didn't have anywhere to be, and you stumbled out of your room in search of something to drink. You tried to be as quiet as possible, noting as to where everyone had decided to sleep. You'd figured that Jesse and Diamondback would've picked the guest bedroom. Mae and Caleb were curled up on the couch, tight in eachothers arms. Homer was nowhere to be found, but you thought you could hear snoring coming from the bathroom. And Severen? He had obviously tried his best to make himself comfortable in the corner booth. His legs hung over the end of the booth, even from his slightly propped up position. His head was lolling to the side, and you were sure he was going to have a crick in his neck by the time night-time came. You'd figured out as much to know that they wouldn't be up until then.

You took the time to move their load of clothes, which they hadn't decided to separate by color, into the dryer so it'd be ready when they all woke up. You drank down your water, set the cup in the sink, and hesitated at the hall. You didn't know what pushed you to do it, but, the next thing you knew, you were reaching over to brush your fingers through his hair and lightly stir him awake. He blinked his eyes open, lifting himself up a bit and looking up to find the source of the touch. When he saw you, you couldn't help but smile when he relaxed.

"C'mon. You'll sleep better in my bed." You whispered, nodding your head towards the hall. It didn't take much else to convince him. You didn't know what you were doing, or what had compelled you to do it. Perhaps it was his stupid face. Or the look he'd had when he'd been sleeping, completely relaxed without a smirk, smile, or flash of anger. Or, how, without his leather jacket and in his pajamas, he just didn't look nearly as mean as he once had. You crawled into your bed and Severen closed the door behind the two of you. It was a double bed, one big enough for the two of you. Severen toed off his shoes, but he didn't take off much else. He kept the jeans and tank top he'd chosen from the pile on, and you guessed that was for your sake as he climbed into the bed next to you. He shifted, trying to find a way to get comfortable before he ended up on his back. Almost as if he wasn't used to sleeping in a bed. He curled one of his arms behind his head and laid the other on his stomach, almost as if he was keeping the side towards you open, and you silently asked yourself why you had suggested this to him once more. You stayed on your side of the bed, he stayed on his, and you tried not to wonder when you'd stopped being scared of him.

It had taken awhile to fall back asleep. You weren't used to sleeping through entire days, but there wasn't much else you could do. You had a feeling that they wouldn't take to it kindly if you decided to leave your trailer, for obvious reasons. So, you had no choice but to stay put. And, if you didn't want to wake them up, that meant staying in your room. You fell asleep after Severen did, and after you tucked into yourself.

When you woke up, it was because you felt someone playing with your hair. You blinked your eyes open a fraction, making a noise before you buried your face back into whatever was keeping you comfortable in the summer heat. Denying the suggestion of getting up. The smell was familiar, a smell that had comforted you for years. And your ac had stopped working weeks ago, so you couldn't remember the last time you hadn't woken up with your sheets tossed off of you and sweat beading down your skin. You were perfectly comfortable, and you didn't _want_ to get up. You wrapped your arm around the weight besides you, holding onto it like a cool pillow. Only when he laughed did you realize that it was Severen. 

You pulled your hand back, lifting it up in confusion. You'd ended up on his side of the bed, so one thing was clear. And it didn't help your embarrassment when Severen noted it by saying,

"Evenin', cuddle-bug." With a wide grin on his handsome face. Sometime during your sleep you had shifted over to Severens side of your bed and wrapped yourself around him. Arms around his waist, head on his chest, and even your legs were tangled together. You weren't necessarily surprised. You'd been used to cuddling up to someone every night for a long time now, and it seemed like you'd just gravitated towards him. Still, you blushed bright scarlet, and you moved to detach yourself. "Hey, hey, it's alright. You don't gotta go nowhere." He quickly said, and you paused. He stroked your head once more, and, for a moment, you leaned into the touch. It felt nice, nice to be in someone's arms again. Nice to wake up next to someone again. Someone that hadn't cheated on you with someone else. But, you quickly reminded yourself of the massacre from last night, and, suddenly, it was a little bit harder to let yourself relax.

He seemed to notice your shift the instant it happened, and he pulled away his hand to let yourself pull away completely. You sat up, crossing your legs criss cross and pushing yourself backwards until your back hit the wall. You stared at him, and you forced yourself to ask,

"What happened last night? What- Why-" But there was no way to properly ask the question burning in your mind. Or at least, no way to do it while keeping your composure. _What did they do? Why was there blood all over their faces?_ Even if you hadn't gotten the words out, Severens face went grim. He sighed, drumming his fingers on his stomach before he suddenly sat up all at once. The suddenness of his movement made you jump, and then he slowed. Like a predator trying not to scare off its prey. He looked over at you, mimicked the way you sat, and reached for your hands. You let him take them, and you watched him closely as he began.

"We don't have a word for it, but," He paused, shaking out his hair. "I'm not like you. I've been around a long time, and," It looked like it was hard for him to explain, like this was something he'd rather show you than tell you, but he continued on. "We can do all sorts of things, amazing things, but the night has its price." It was like he was trying to make it sound not as bad as it was, and he gave your hands a squeeze. But, to you, they sounded like the monsters that hid in the dark. They only came out at night, hid behind human faces, and were capable of things you weren't. _Straight out of a horror story_ , you thought. After a moment, you urged him on,

"And that price is..." You weren't going to leave any blanks, especially if it was something that was going to bother you for the rest of your life. But the way he looked at you? He didn't need to speak for you to understand. _You already know what that price is,_ his eyes said. It was you that finished it then. "Killing." You whispered, and his lips quirked down into a frown. His voice lacked any of its usual humor as he said,

"Well, if we don't then they'll become one of us." And you stared at him for another long moment. That answered one question. _Monsters weren't born, they were made_. And, in this case, they were made by a bite. At first, you thought that it wouldn't be so bad to just let them turn, but then you thought about how many of them there would be. Perhaps not. You couldn't stop the question that left your mouth before you said it,

"And you don't feel bad about it?" You asked him, and he really frowned then. He gripped your hands tighter and leaned forward, the usual cruel humor in his voice when he asked,

"Do you feel bad every time you eat a steak? It's the food chain, darlin'. We just happen to be higher on it." And you stared at him. The way he said it so carelessly, without an ounce of regret, nearly made your skin crawl. He backed off s bit, and you guessed your distaste for his reply was showing through your eyes. But he didn't try to apologize, or make you feel better. You guessed he wasn't the type.

"Then, why didn't you kill me?" You asked, but this time he smiled. It was a wide grin, similar to the one he'd given you when he'd seen you first at the bar. He shrugged his shoulders and said,

"Because I like you." As if that was that. You stared at him for a moment, waiting for him to continue. But it seemed like that was it. Your eyes left his gaze, moving down to your hands instead. He gave them a squeeze, and your eyes caught a bit of movement. He'd leaned in to catch your eye, and you quickly looked up. He smiled when he had your gaze again, and your eyes followed him as he leaned back again. "And you said that you liked me." He added, and you looked away again for a different reason this time. Embarrassment edged at your mind, as did the flurry of emotions that you weren't willing to admit to yourself. You still found him attractive, even if you knew it was messed up. He was a killer. A predator. The only true predator to the human race that you knew of. But, you liked him, and he liked you too. 

You pulled one of your hands away to rub at your heated cheeks, trying to make them cool from the coldness you'd stolen from his hands. But, you found that another cold hand was catching your chin, making you look at him. His eyes were swirling with something, something you weren't quite naive enough to not be able to place. His thumb brushed against your chin, and he whispered, 

"It drives me insane whenever you do that. Littlest things make you nervous." He commented, almost as if he was saying the last bit to himself. You watched him closely as his hand travelled down so he could massage the side of your neck. Right over one of your arteries. His words made your heart beat faster at what they suggested, and the roughness of his hands made you shiver. That, or the lack of warmth from them. The idea that you got him tangled up the same way he did you hadn't really occurred to you, but it made your stomach do backflips. "I can hear your heartbeat getting quicker. Pounding out of your chest. Thinking about something, huh?" He said, chuckling lightly as his eyes drifted down to the expanse of your neck. It made you gulp, and his eyes were quick to retreat back to your face once he saw it. Your mouth was dry and your tongue was frozen, caught by his gaze and unable to think of a thing to say. A flirty response to match his. But, Severen liked to talk and he was fine to continue by himself, "At first, I thought you were still scared of me, but," His thumb brushed over your jugular, and you bet your heart was only thrumming louder. "You're not, are you?" It was a rhetorical question, and he was right. You weren't scared anymore, even if part of you knew you should be. He leaned in, pausing a moment when he was only an inch away. You let out a soft gasp, but you didn't pull back. Didn't reclaim the distance between you. Your loosened tongue didn't make a noise to stop him. Instead, after a moment of silent words passing between the two of you, you leaned a bit closer and reached up to cup his jaw when he closed the gap.


	4. Chapter 4

His lips were surprisingly soft, not chapped like you might expect them to be. His kiss was firm and dominating, just slightly fast and leaving you feeling lightheaded. But careful. As if he didn't want to scare you off and make you retreat away from him. He melded his mouth over yours, guiding your lips and gently holding your neck with one hand while the other cupped your face. It was embarrassingly easy how he pulled a noise from your throat. He hadn't even touched you, in any way that mattered at least. But the way he sucked on your bottom lip, slid his against yours, and tugged your bottom lip gently between his teeth was threatening to turn you into jello. He gave your neck a small squeeze, and you had to pull away just to catch a break. A breather. 

You broke the contact of your lips, but he followed you. Just to brush his against yours, making your lips tingle and crave more. But, when he let you pull away completely to catch your breath, you couldn't stop the hunger that went through you. You'd been given a taste and now you wanted more.

You pulled him in with a renewed about of vigor, and you could feel the curl of his lips as you became undeniably desperate. Your kiss was hard and sloppy, but he was quick to match your pace and swipe at your bottom lip. You parted for him easily, letting his mouth muffle the noise that left your lips at the feeling of his tongue sliding against yours. He lifted you up, like he was lifting a ragdoll, and pulled you onto him to straddle his hips. Your hands curled into his hair, tugging at the dark locks at the nape of his neck. He groaned, but even just a noise as small as that brought a wave of satisfaction through you. His one hand gripped your thigh, making a jolt run through your body when you felt the tightness of his grip. He pulled away to turn his head, letting you catch a quick breath, before his lips consumed yours once more. Your head was starting to swim, the kiss poking a fire in the pit of your stomach. He tasted like the flavor of your toothpaste, and you were starting to wonder just how far you were going to let him go. His hand was rubbing your thigh, and your hips were pressed flushed against eachother. While you weren't grinding against him yet, you weren't _that_ needy, every little move made a spark of anticipation light up the back of your mind. 

Before the kiss could continue anywhere interesting, there was a loud series of knocks at your bedroom door. The two of you yanked away in surprise, and Homers voice rang through the silence,

"Severen, c'mon! We're all waiting on the two of you!" And you watched as he whipped his head and began to growl a curse. Before a series of smart words could leaving his mouth, you turned his head back to face yours. You kissed him again, this one slow and deep. It was calmer. Almost sweet. But you cut it short and gave him a small smile. When he smiled back, it almost looked as if he was ready to flip you over and take you right then. Before he could lean back in and reclaim your lips, you told him,

"We'll finish this later." You promised, and that seemed good enough for him. That didn't mean that you didn't have to kick him out to let you get changed, and you decided on something a bit nicer than what you'd worn yesterday. A light sweater that wasn't so loose, just in case there was a chill, and a long skirt to match. The nicest thing about your outfit, however, was the matching underwear. You thought to put on a little make-up, but not anything that would take too long. 

You didn't know what they were planning to do, but you finally decided to ask. Severen had changed back into his normal set of clothes, but had decided to keep your ex's tank to replace his tattered one. Everything else could still be spared, but it seemed like the bags they all carried were just a little bit more full. He'd grinned and kiss your cheek when he saw you, mumbling a flirt of,

"Howdy there, beautiful." You were given a spot in the corner booth, with Severen reclaiming his spot on the fold out chair and Diamondback taking a seat in Jesse's lap instead. They'd been asking you a few questions, ones about your life, family, and, finally, your ex. You'd been half-way through your meal then, and you'd glared down at the plate. You'd spared them most of the details, just saying that you found him with a waitress. You didn't know how long it'd been going on, but you figured he was an idiot so probably not long. There were only so many people in the little town, and only one diner. You'd let that information slip, and you had missed the way Jesse pointedly looked at Mae and Caleb. You'd also mumbled to yourself,

"That's probably where that asshole has been hanging. Waitress or no waitress." As you pushed the remaining food around on your plate.

It was only a few minutes later that Mae, Caleb, and Homer had gone ahead into the night. When you thought about it, you supposed that was where your ex was spending all his time. Waitress or no waitress. You had finished your breakfast, and you were holding a cup of coffee with both hands as you stared at the heads of the family. 

"Well, we were gonna head back up north. Maybe towards Washington, and then circle back through the Midwest." He said, making sure his gun was ready and loaded. "We'll need to take your car, of course, but we'll probably have to part with it once we get out of the state," He continued, but this is when you decided to interrupt.

"My car?" You asked, and he lifted his eyes. The look he gave you spoke clear as day. _What else did you expect?_ "What- What am I supposed to do?" Without your car, you basically had nothing. You had your trailer, but that'd be gone by the end of the week. Your car was the only thing that was actually worth anything to your name. And it only took a moment for them to realize one part of their plan clearly hadn't been discussed. Jesse looked up at Diamondback, before clicking his jaw and giving Severen a small glare. Severen didn't meet his eyes. It was Diamondback that broke the news.

"Well, you're supposed to come with us, honey." And you stared at her. For a moment, you almost thought you hadn't heard her correctly. You looked at Severen, but all you saw was him carefully lighting a cigarette. Obviously, you hadn't been as thorough as you wanted to be when it came to getting answers, but he broke the silence by saying,

"If you want to." He said nonchalantly, with a small shrug. As if he wasn't laying something out that heavy. He looked over at you, meeting your eyes. You stared at him for a moment, and your mouth began to move,

"I," You paused. You didn't know what to say. They expected you to come with them. You didn't know what Severen was thinking, but it made it obvious where Severen saw this going. This wasn't just a one-night stand with a man that would maybe come back through this town two or three times in your lifetime. He was expecting you to come with them, and everything that came with that. There was a knee-jerk reaction to say no, but, after you thought about it, you wondered why you'd want to. Just last night you'd been sitting in a bar, trying to drink away your horrible life. You had no job, little money, a shit time at school, and a cheating ex. Speaking of your ex, his words rang in your ears. _The rent's up in a week!_ And you weren't kidding when you said you wouldn't pay it. There wasn't any way that you _could_ pay it. You'd been planning on spending the next week packing up your things and getting ready to move back in with your parents. _My parents,_ you thought. Now _that_ was the only thing keeping you in this town. Whatever your current relationship with them, you knew your parents would flip if you suddenly up and left. Still, you'd been praying for a way out. For an escape. And here they were, handing you one. It was one with a group of people that you didn't know so well, and who weren't exactly moral citizens, but you chalked that up to the fact that you hadn't exactly been specific with your prayers. It was why you said, "I'd need to call my parents. Just to let them know I'm not in a ditch somewhere." You said. You knew if you suddenly disappeared you'd end up on every milk carton in the state. The couple exchanged a glance, silent words passing between them. Finally, Jesse said,

"Sure." And a minute later, and you were dialing your parents house from the land-line in your trailer.

It was in the kitchen, hung up on the wall. Severen leaned against the fridge, with the other vampires heading out to follow the younger couple and the youngest of their family. You couldn't remember the last time you'd called your parents, especially this late. It took a few rings, but, after a moment, you heard the sound of your father's voice on the other line. 

"Hello?" And you were already reaching to tangle the chord around your finger as you turned around to lean back against the counter.

"Hi, daddy." You said, and you heard him chuckle on the other line. His deep voice filled the reciever, and he said a quick,

"Hi there, honey. Late night?" He asked, and you smiled to yourself. You sent Severen a glance, and he lifted his brows at you.

"Yeah, just a bit." The two of you ran over how he was, and, after he returned the question, you said, "Um, I'm actually good. I'm- I called tonight to let you know I'm leaving town for a bit. I just- I just wanted to get some space from everything. I'm gonna travel with some friends." You told him, and you heard his hum on the other end of the line. Then, a sigh. 

"Any friends I know?" He asked, and you bit your lip to suppress your smile. Your father knew, just as he knew when you turned eighteen, that he couldn't stop you from doing what you wanted. He didn't even try anymore, and just did his best to help you pick of the pieces when everything was said and done.

"No, no- No one you'd know. We haven't really decided where we're going yet, but my rent is up at the end of the week." You said, glancing over at your calendar. "It'll be up on Friday, and I don't think we'll be back by then. If you could do me a favor and-" But your old man was cutting you off to say,

"Don't worry. I won't let that S.O.B. get any of your stuff. I'll put everything in the attic for when you get back." He said, and it almost pained you how kind he was. You were chewing on your lip as you thought, _if I do ever come back_ . But you shook away the idea. It wasn't like you'd _killed_ anyone. As far as you were concerned, your slate was clean. And you would be able to come home as long as it was.

"Thank you." You told him, but your old man, quick as ever, said,

"Now, you wouldn't happen to be travelling with any boys, now would you?" He asked, and you laughed. It was a joke more than anything, you knew. Still, you were almost coy with the answer. You twirled the cord around your finger, watching as Severen pushed himself off the fridge and crept closer. By the time you said,

"Boys? Mm, maybe one." Severen was playing with the hem of your shirt and firmly inside your personal space. One of his hands slipped to your waist, the other holding one side of your neck. It seemed he'd finally decided to take advantage of the fact that the two of you were alone, and you stood on your tiptoes to meet him. You didn't hear your father's reply clearly, as you'd let the phone fall to your shoulder when Severen leaned down to kiss you. You could hear your father talking, probably warning you of all the things you should avoid. All probably things that Severen was guilty of himself. But you were too busy focusing on the feeling of Severens mouth on yours to really pay attention. You swayed a bit as Severens hand smoothed down your waist, and then to your hips. He gave your neck a small squeeze, but you swallowed any noise he was trying to pull from you. He lifted you up, setting you up on the counter, and you had to muffle your squeak. Severen kissed you until you were breathless, and one of your hands smoothed over his face to feel the coolness of his skin before tucking back into his hair. You heard your father calling your name, so you broke from the kiss to bring the reciever back to your face. "Yeah, no, no, I was listening. Be careful, don't rush into things, make sure he's a gentleman. I got it, I got it." But you were barely paying attention to your own words when Severen began to trail open-mouthed kisses down the expanse of your neck. _Bastard_ , you thought. He'd wormed his way between your legs once more, and you were doing your best to keep your breathing even as your father said,

"I know, I know. Call me if you get into any trouble, or, well, just need to call. I love you, and you be safe now? Alright?" And you quickly nodded before you realized you were going to have to force your mouth to work.

"Yeah, I will be. I love you too." And you were hanging up the reciever just as Severens cold hands teased under the hem of your shirt. You pulled him back up and in, pulling him closer by wrapping one of your legs over his hip. There was something addictive about his lips, something that made your head swim and fog. It pushed away at all your morals, and you thought that perhaps this was how the devil tempted the wandering lambs. You could easily imagine Severen as a devil himself, and, perhaps, he really was. Severen was gripping at the fabric of your skirt and one of his hands was kneading the flesh of your thigh. It made you whimper, and, even if the noise was embarrassing, it only made him press further. 

His mouth had left your lips again, this time to favor the side of your neck that he had missed. You didn't even care if he was leaving marks that'd be visible or not, and the way he sucked on the spot under your ear had both of your legs wrapping around his hips and tightening. You were sure that this was the man that was gonna drive you mad. You felt a graze of his teeth, and then he was dislodging his mouth and stopping himself all at once. When he pulled back, his eyes looked slightly wild. Feral. Similar to how'd they'd looked when he'd been holding you against the bar wall. It was him that decided to slow down, and he told you so by saying,

"Come on, they're gonna end up waiting on us all night." It's true that the pair of you were behind. Severen still had to eat for the night, and you were sure him and his family would be scratching to leave town the second all of them were full. The whole town had probably heard of the bar fire by now. But Severen refused, even if you may have preferred not to go out to eat with him, to leave you alone. He stayed while you packed a bag and helped you pick out the essentials. You had to slap his hands away from your underwear drawer, and it only started to dawn on you then that you were really doing this. You were really leaving. You ran a hand through your hair, looking around at the room you'd called your own for so much time. But, well, it didn't really feel like your room. It had been yours and your ex's, as much as you wanted to cross him out of his life. The whole _trailer_ had been. The memory of him hung around like a ghost, haunting you and making it impossible to forget him. Especially since you'd caught him in this very room. When you thought about that, for a moment, you wished you'd had slept with Severen. On _your_ bed. If not for a piece of petty revenge. You still found yourself taking a pillow from the bed, if only for a piece of your home when you left. The rest, well, was going to have to stay.

Severen carried the bag for you, and grabbed his as well. He didn't seem to struggle at all, and you were pleasantly surprised to see that they'd left you the car. Severen threw your stuff in the back, and the two of you decided that you'd arrange it later. 

"I'm drivin'." Severen said, and you scoffed. You held your keys in your hand, shaking your head. For some reason, you doubted Severen was any good behind a wheel, but that didn't stop you from tossing him your keys after you locked up your trailer. The one good thing you remembered to do was to change the locks. Severen unlocked the door from your side, opened the passenger door, and waved you inside. You arched a brow at him at the gesture, and he smoothly replied, "What, I know how to treat a lady when I want to." He said, and you shook your head as you climbed inside.

"Mmhm, I'm sure you do." You sassed, making it all too clear that you'd caught the double-meaning, but all he did was close the door behind you, laugh, and walk to the other side. You bit your nail, watching him as he pulled himself into the car. You didn't know what had sparked it, but then you ran over the words you'd said to your father. Maybe, just maybe, he'd taken note. The front of the station wagon had a long seat, one that was broken up by a center console. Severen pat the spot in the middle, directly besides him, and you scooted over to listen. You leaned against him, and he wrapped his arm around the back of the seat after he pulled you out of your spot and towards the main road. "Where we goin'?" You asked, and he just sent you one of his usual smirks. 

"It's a surprise." You wondered how the hell Severen planned on surprising you. It's not like there were many things to do in this town, especially things that you didn't already know about. But, when he pulled up to the only diner in town, the diner where your ex's waitress worked, you gave him a look.

"Ha-ha, very funny." You told him flatly, but Severen wasn't laughing. Just grinning. You stared at him for a moment, looking at the diner, and then realization crossed your face. "No- No way." You told him, shaking your head. But he was nodding his head, contradicting you.

"Yes way." He replied, echoing your words. You balked at him, and, for a moment, you really thought he was just pulling your leg. There was _no way_ he could be serious. 

"We're not going in there." You told him, but it didn't seem like he was going to listen. He'd already pulled the keys out of the ignition. He was putting them in the pocket of his coat, and he relaxed back against the seat and shrugged his shoulders,

"Only alternative is we spend the entire night in the parking lot." He said, and, with the way the night had been going so far, you weren't sure that was such a bad idea. Severen seemed to notice that you weren't exactly against that idea. He shook his head and turned it to the side, letting out a small hoot before he was shaking his finger at you. He said, "I knew I liked you for a reason." But it didn't seem like he was the type to give up. You were quickly proven right. "C'mon, it'll be good for you." He told you, but you severely doubted it. Still, he was pushing open the door and climbing out, and you stared at him as he rounded to the other side. You knew you weren't the type to let him do this every time, and it was more so to pout that you stayed in your seat. He opened the door and held out his hand for you to take, and, after casting a glance towards the diner, you sighed and took it.


	5. Chapter 5

Severen held your hand, and you let him guide you towards the entrance. Your feet felt like they were made out of lead, and every step you took was one you dreaded. When Severen finally opened the door to the diner, a horrible feeling of embarrassment had crept it's way into your chest. But the bell had already signaled your arrival, so it was too late to turn back and head back towards the car. No matter how much you wanted to. You tried to repeat Severens words over and over again in your head.  _ This will be good for you. _ Were the words you repeated, trying to force yourself to believe they were true. You reached for Severens hand, using him to ground you, and you practically used him to shield yourself from any potential familiar faces. It didn't seem like that was going to be that big of an issue, as there were only about three tables filled in the entire diner.  _ And I'm leaving tonight anyways, _ you reminded yourself.

When the waitress that greeted you wasn't one that you recognized, you were relieved. Happy, even. She had just asked if you were looking for a booth or a counter seat when Severen told her,

"We're meeting some people." And she was quick to point you in the direction of the rest of your group. They'd taken up two booths, back to back. You were a little surprised. You'd almost thought that the two of you were coming here alone, and it comforted you to see the rest of Severens group more than you'd like to admit. You and Severen scooted into the one with just Mae and Caleb, and Severen sat on the outside of the seat. While you'd been nervous before, you relaxed once you'd rejoined the rest of the group, especially the younger couple. You'd done a quick scan of the room, and you'd almost missed the sight of a very familiar face. Your ex. He was sitting alone, eating and drinking just like he always did on nights like these. You felt your breath hitch and your heart stop. You'd been safer the night before, in the comfort of your own home. With him sober and unable to really comprehend his own argument. But now? You were out in the open. In fact, it was almost as if it was  _ you _ that was coming to his door. You shrunk into yourself, and tried to hide behind Severen as best as you could. When he gave you a questioning look, you quietly said,

"He's-" You glanced with your eyes. "He's right  _ there _ ." And, to make it painfully obvious, all three of them looked in that direction. You groaned, tucking your head and nearly covering it with your arms. You reached over, putting up your menu so it covered the sight of you leaned over with your head in your arms. It made Severen laugh, a clear loud sound. He stopped you, pushing the menus down and taking your hands to hold them. You'd sat so your back was to your ex and you were inside the booth, so, really, the only thing your ex would see was Severen. You hoped he wouldn't remember last night at all, so he wouldn't remember Severen in the slightest. You prayed to God that your luck would at least allow that. While you were on the verge of a crisis, Severen was leaning in and smiling at you.

"Come on. Don't want loverboy to see you?" He teased, but you only answered him with a glare. Mae and Caleb snickered, but quickly covered their mouths when you looked over at them. Severen tilted his head, a grin still on his face, and leaned down so your faces were eye-level near the table. You bit back any remark you wanted to make, and the urge to grin when he kept staring at you. You couldn't believe that this was his idea of a  _ surprise _ .

"Why are we here?" You asked. You weren't enjoying your current situation at all. Your only desire was to go back to the car and as far away from  _ him _ as possible. Severen leaned back a bit, shook his head, and then said,

"Why, we're here to get dinner from this lovely establishment." He said, and your eyes turned confused as you lifted your head. You thought they didn't eat. Severens hand moved onto your thigh, giving it a squeeze just as your attention was pulled in a different direction. 

"Can I get y'all started on some drinks?" And you lifted your eyes to see a very unwelcome sight. The sight of your ex had freaked you out, of course, but the sight of the waitress he'd shacked up with? It made your mouth go completely dry, and you couldn't stop your staring as rage flooded you. She'd glanced away from the pad of paper in her hands, and it seemed she was having the very same feelings towards you that you had towards your ex. You could practically hear the  _ oh shit _ she said in her mind. Your eyes turned into a glare, even as Caleb started.

"Two cokes." He said, looking to confirm that with Mae. She nodded, and it took the waitress a moment to pry her eyes from you and write down their order. You looked her over. You had only seen her a few times in highschool, and you hadn't even remembered her name. You glanced at her name tag, wondering if your ex had even bothered to learn it. Severen besides you asked for a beer, but you weren't paying attention enough to hear what brand. When she finally looked at you, and your words were flat as you said,

"Water." Even though your words were as cold as ice and you were giving her probably the nastiest glare you'd ever given someone, you knew, at least partially, that she wasn't the person to share the most of the blame. That was your ex. This girl? She hadn't owed you anything. It was just that she hadn't even seen an ounce of your temper yet. Severen nudged your side, and said,

"C'mon, you're gonna let me drink alone?" He asked, and your glare softened when you looked at him. You propped your chin up on your hand, silently cursing his handsome face. You sighed, pointing at him for a moment, and said,

"And whatever he's having." You didn't care to search for what brands they had, and he gave your thigh a hard squeeze, saying,

"'Atta girl." Before he was pulling his hand away to sling over your shoulder. His flaming enthusiasm and charm was quickly melting your cold shoulder, to the point that you managed a small grin when he leaned in to press a kiss to your cheek. You smiled and gave his chest a light push, and the waitress scampered away before she could even run your orders back to you or check your table for ID's. Severen turned your face with the hand around your shoulder, and you met him in the middle when he leaned in to kiss you. It was a short one, but it was enough to make you relax completely once more. When he pulled away, you leaned into his chest and played with his other hand. The four of you started a direction-less conversation, one who's only goal was to fill the silence and set you at ease. It was only after a minute that Mae leaned in and asked,

"So, that's her?" And you felt a jolt of embarrassment go through you. You hadn't meant for them to know everything so quickly, but it seemed as if you were an open book. Though, you could say that you knew a lot more about them than anyone alive did. You ran a hand though your hair and nodded. She hummed, leaning into Caleb the same way you leaned into Severen. It hit you a little bit then, how quickly you had warmed up to the brunette, but you didn't mention it. Especially when Caleb was pulling you from your thoughts with the remark, 

"I thought she'd be prettier." And you gave him a questioning look, but his face quickly spread out into a grin. It seemed he was joking at her expense, and you found yourself laughing in surprise at the comment. You watched as Mae besides you continued,

"Nah, seems like the type to be a real pig. You were highschool sweethearts, right?" She asked, and you watched as Severen reached over to grab a toothpick and place it between his teeth. You nodded, and Mae continued. "Probably just wanted to try something new, not knowing what he already had. Probably didn't even know her name." Mae said, and it was surprising how quick she'd come to the same conclusion that you had. The boy besides her leaned back against the booth as he said,

"He  _ had _ to know her name. C'mon, you can't just screw someone without knowing their name." Caleb said, but honestly? You thought he was giving him a little too much credit. You said so when you replied,

"You can if you're a pig." Your voice was lower than the rest, and you hoped that they would follow along with your example. That was all you had to say on the topic, but it was clear that you sided with Mae. Mae looked over at him, her thumb between her teeth as she said,

"Wanna bet?" However, you couldn't ask what she meant, or ask them to quiet their voices, as said waitress was stopping by with all your drinks. She set down the cokes, then both your and Severens beers. Before she could set down your water, it was Severen that said,

"Excuse me, miss. We're having a running bet here," And your eyes widened as you looked at the man besides you. You couldn't believe the words were actually leaving his mouth when he said, "Did he," He paused to point straight at your ex. "Know your name before he cheated on this lovely young lady here with you?" And you were covering your mouth as you watched the words hit her. 

She flushed bright red, and you couldn't help the laugh that escaped you. Caleb didn't even try to hide it, and Mae was doing her best to bite back her smile when the waitress glanced over at the sound. You looked over at the table next to you, and it seemed that even they had caught on to the question. Mae's gasp and the feeling of sprinkles of water hitting you was what made you turn your head back around, only to see that she had thrown your water right in Severens face. You'd only been hit in the crossfire, and everything seemed to pause. It seemed to take Severen a second to realize that she really had thrown a cup of water in his face, and it seemed like her mind hadn't even caught up to her yet. But, the second that she slapped a hand over her mouth in realization was the second that Severen was standing. He dwarfed her, even if you knew that she was taller than you. He grabbed her by the arm before she could think to retreat, and a loud, humorless joke left his mouth.

"Well, this place has shit service. Now, I can't even imagine why he'd pick you." He gripped the girl by both of her arms, shaking her lightly as she said it. And it seemed that Severen had caught everyone's attention, including yours. All of you watched as he yanked the girl forward, and seamlessly tore into her neck. All it took was one single bite, and you saw how he broke skin. She was screaming, loud and pained. You stared in horror at the sight, not even noticing how the five others began to move. You didn't see how Mae and Caleb went to lock the doors, or how they went to grab the single cool that had run out of the kitchen to see what was going on. How Caleb held him by the back of his arms. How Jesse stood, commanding the room with his presence alone, and told Mae to check the back for anyone else. How everyone else in the front room seemed just as paralyzed by the sight of Severen draining her. You watched, and from your angle you could clearly see his adam's apple moving. Gulping. He was drinking down her blood, even if some of it trickled down his chin and chest. He pulled away with a belch, even more of it slipping from his chin. He swallowed the rest, and let the girls body fall with an audible _thwap_ when it hit the ground. You didn't have to look at her to know that she was dead, and you couldn't pull your eyes from Severen anyways. He licked his lips, barely gathering the blood doused there before he was swiping it from under his chin and sucking it into his mouth as well. He grinning as he pulled the finger from his mouth, quickly saying, "Well, at least we know how she tastes." Earning a laugh from himself and a chuckle from the rest of his family. He pulled his sunglasses down, covering his eyes and pulling out his arms to fix his jacket sleeves. You felt a sort of numbness run through you. Sure, you knew what they were. Knew what they did. But something about it hadn't connected in your mind. You hadn't connected the fact that you were going to have to  _ see _ it.

But the images were going to permanently be burned into your brain. You watched as they killed the only other booth in the restaurant, a group of men that you thought you would maybe recognize on a normal day. They killed the cook and the dishwasher that Mae had found. So far, they'd each been able to get someone to drink from. Jesse had asked you if there would be anyone else, and your mouth had felt so numb that you almost couldn't find the words to reply.

"No, no. He- He owns it." You said, looking at the cook.  _ Owned _ , you thought and silently corrected yourself. The whole reason you'd been applying was because they were short-staffed.  _ Now, they had no staff _ . You silently joked, but a dark, uncomfortable feeling settled in your stomach the second you thought it. You shouldn't be joking about this, even if it'd only been for a moment of comfort. Another voice pulled you from your thoughts. It was Severen. He'd grabbed your ex and wrapped him in a headlock. He was holding him up straight and brought him so he was right in front of you. He was crying. 

"Now, I want you to apologize. Really apologize." Severen said, and, for a moment, you thought you could see the same exact feral look on his face. You could imagine the look in his eyes, even behind the glasses. Your ex was bubbering, but you didn't blame him. Severen pushed him into the other side of the booth, the side that Mae and Caleb had sat. His family was spread out, but, even if it was just Severen, you doubted he'd be able to escape. His words from the night before rang in your ears.  _ I thought I was going to have to run you down. _ You didn't doubt that he could do the same to the man sitting across from you. You watched as he clasped his hands together, and quickly said,

"Please, please," As if you had any say in all of this. As if you could save him. "Please, I'm- I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." For a moment you imagined where you'd be if none of this had happened. He'd still be here, but maybe they would've gone. Left for the next town. Your ex would've returned to you in one piece and you'd never even know that Severen existed. That monsters were real. His waitress might've even still had been alive. Everything,  _ everything _ , was his fault.

"You did this to yourself." You muttered. The words were surprisingly cruel. Crueler than anything you thought you had said before, given the circumstance. He cried out, quickly reaching for your hand and gripping it so tight that it hurt.

"No, no, no! Please-  _ Please! _ " He begged, but Severen was grabbing his hand. Ripping it off of yours and breaking it under his grip. You could hear the snap of bones, and they broke under Severens hands like a toothpick. He screamed in pain, and you couldn't stop yourself from covering your ears at the sound. You were sick of the sound of screams, you were sick of the sight of blood. When Severen pounced on him and slammed him back against the wall inside the booth, you realized that if you saw anymore that you were going to be sick. For a moment, you couldn't move. Then, you were moving so fast that you slipped once you pushed yourself out of the booth. You caught yourself by your hands, and instantly looked over to see what had caused you to almost fall flat on your face. It was the waitresses blood. You gagged and covered your mouth, before you pushed yourself. Someone grabbed you, helping you stand. You saw Mae's face, and, even though it was covered in blood, she asked,

"You alright?" And you could feel tears pooling in your eyes. You knew none of them were going to hurt you, or, at least, that's what they made it seem like. But, you couldn't stop them if they wanted to. You pulled yourself out of her arms, muttering something about needing a minute, and went straight back towards the bathroom. You stepped into the public bathroom, and immediately went for the sink. You turned it on, splashing your face with water before you leaned down to drink some from the faucet. Your numbness hadn't faded, even if it'd cracked for a moment. From the shock of falling down. But it came back, and you stared at yourself in the mirror as you tried not to think about what had just happened. It was impossible. Every time you shut your eyes, you saw the bodies. The corpses. And soon it wasn't just images behind your eyelids when it came to Severen. You turned when you heard the door being pushed open, and pressed your back against one fo the sinks. He had fresh blood coating his chin, making it so it had splashed even higher than his chin and near his cheek. His new tank was drenched and ripped, and his teeth were stained red when he smiled at the sight of you.

"There you are." He said, and then he was bounding over to you. It only took a couple of quick strides, but then he was in front of you. His blood-stained hands were cupping your face and he was pressing his lips, his blood drenched lips, against yours. You froze, instinctively keeping your mouth closed and not daring to kiss back. He pulled away the second you went rigid, and gave you a concerned look. He smoothed his hands over your cheeks, and you could feel him spreading the blood over your face. Perhaps it would've been different if you didn't know whose blood it was. Maybe it wouldn't have been. But tears slipped out of your eyes and your vision became blurry. "Hey, hey, what's the matter? Hey-" But your knees gave out and Severen had to grab you to keep you standing. He picked you up, sitting you on the sink so you wouldn't fall. You looked down, seeing the stains on your skirt. You gulped. He'd been repeating the words, trying to coax the answer out of you. But his hands were back in your face, and finally you snapped.

"Stop- Stop-" You said, trying to push away his hands. But Severen wasn't listening. "Stop touching me!" You yelled. Tears streamed down your face harder than ever, and Severen froze. You pushed him away, but it was like pushing at a brick wall. You pulled on your sleeve, rubbing your face and trying to get the feeling off your skin. It wasn't working. "You've got- You've got blood all over you! All over _me!_ " You said, and you were hopping off the sink. He stepped back to let you, and you were pulling towels out of the dispenser, turning on the water to wet them, and rubbing your face so hard you thought you were going to rub it raw. Severen stepped back, and was surprisingly quiet. You didn't pay him any mind, even when he slipped out of the bathroom. You had gone through maybe half the towels by the time you'd gotten the blood, and the feeling of blood, off of your skin.

Severen had gone straight to Jesse, and he knew, he could see it clear on their faces, that they had heard. Jesse was quick to try to comfort him, telling him that it wasn't always easy. That it was different each time someone found their mate. Mae had turned Caleb immediately, so, of course, he wouldn't have rejected blood. His thirst wouldn't have let him. But Diamondback? Jesse had done the very same that Severen was doing now, trying to let her choose the life on her own. They told him over and over again that it was just shock. That she just needed time to herself, and then she'd be fine. But Severen wasn't quite so convinced. He'd seen the way you looked at him, and he hadn't liked it. Maybe if he has listened to Mae, maybe if he had listened to you, maybe if he had  _ stopped _ . Then maybe you wouldn't have looked at him like he was a monster. It was why he went to the men's room to clean up the best he could, replaying the look in your eyes over and over again as he wiped the blood off of his skin and rinsed his mouth out.


	6. Chapter 6

Severen stared at himself after he was cleaned off. Even with his face and chest clean, he was still a mess. He'd never really cared before, but he figured you would. It's why, before all the rest did, he was heading out towards the car to change. He figured that if he wasn't at least covered in blood, maybe you wouldn't freak out again. He knew, as he took off his coats, that he'd rushed things. He cursed himself. He'd been careful to keep his distance at first, letting you come to him and judging each of your reactions carefully. And the one second he'd assumed? He'd fucked everything up. 

He thought that this would make you _happy_ . They'd hurt you, that was easy to see. Wasn't it for the best if they were dead? Then, they could never hurt you again, and, more importantly, they had gotten hurt _back_. Arguably, far worse than they'd hurt you. It was supposed to feel good. He'd felt good doing it, so why didn't you feel the same? 

But, the more he thought about it, the more he wondered if that had been his own feelings muddled in with what he thought you'd want. He had to admit to himself, he'd known he was going to kill your ex the second you'd said those words to him. Perhaps it was because of what he did, perhaps it was because just a fraction of him, the smallest fraction, had been jealous. That there had been someone before him. Someone you'd loved, someone who's had you in the way he wanted you. He'd decided at the bar, perhaps decided at the moment he saw you, that you were his. While he hadn't done it last night, he thought you were ready. You'd _talked_ about it. You'd _understood_. He couldn't wrap his mind around why you'd be upset. But he ran a hand over his face, sighing into the open night.

Having a mate was more complicated than he thought. For a moment, he thought that perhaps he should've turned you. Done what Mae had done to Caleb. He could've bit you earlier that night, and then you wouldn't have been so against what had happened less than a half hour before. You even had potential, and he reminded himself what you’d said to your ex. But, he reminded himself, even Caleb had rejected it at first. Been upset about what he'd become. He frowned as he looked down at the leather jacket in his hands. He hadn't wanted that. He'd wanted you to choose this life, just as Diamondback had. While Mae and Caleb were inseparable, he'd wanted a companion-ship like what Jesse and Diamondback had. They'd been together, in love, for decades. They had an entire coven of their own. They were the backbone of the entire family. He'd thought that- But the image of your tear-streaked face popped back into his head and stopped his thoughts dead in his tracks. He shook his head. There was nothing he could do about it now, and he resolved to just set his outer layers aside and rip into the bag he had to store all his clothes. He would fix it, and he would start by getting out of his blood-stained shirt.

***

You hadn't spoken much of a word to the others. Your face was clean, though your clothes weren't. You'd tracked your shoes in blood, the edges of your skirt had been tinged red when you tripped, Severens hand prints still remained, and your one sleeve was red. But your skin was clean, and that was enough for your sanity. For now. You left the bathroom, and saw how they were making preparations to start their fire. Mae pointed you out of the door and helpfully said,

"He went outside." And you tried to give her a smile as you stepped around the bodies and blood the best you could without looking directly at them. You left the diner, feeling the cool, summer air cast over your skin. The fresh air, and lack of the smell of corpses, calmed your nerves. You saw Severen at the car. He had opened the trunk, and you saw how he was tugging on a new shirt. It was the most you'd seen of him, a quick flash of his chest, and you tried not to let your eyes linger. While he must've heard the bell, it seemed like he was too lost in thought to really notice. You cleared your throat so you wouldn't startle him. He looked up, catching sight of you. His face was clean, as were his hands and chest. He was no longer covered in blood. You watched as he looked away, tugging on a new flannel, similar to the one he had worn before but with no splashes of blood. You were thankful for the sight, but you didn't put it together that he'd done it for your sake.

The two of you didn't speak for a moment, even as you walked closer to where he stood. Where your clothes were stored. He watched you come closer, but he didn't reach out to touch you. He didn't talk. He buttoned one of the buttons in his flannel shirt, and then pulled on his leather jacket, and you stood next to him by the time he was done. You rubbed your arm, and quietly said,

"I'm- I'm gonna get changed." And he nodded. He almost looked as if he was going to walk away, give you some privacy, but then he stopped himself.

"I didn't," He paused, taking a breath. It seemed as if Severen wasn't used to making people upset and then, well, not eating them. It seemed like something he was good at, getting a rise out of people. But you doubted he was often in a situation where he didn't do it intentionally. "I thought that if I- I thought you'd be fine. I didn't know you would- Are you alright?" It was the first time you'd ever heard Severen struggle with words. Even when you'd talked earlier that night, he'd seem to be more at ease. More himself. Part of you was relieved that he wasn't mad at you, wasn't going to turn this into something that you'd done. You weren't sure you'd be able to handle it if he did. But, he didn't, and seemed to accept the fact that it had just been too much for you. And he didn't blame you for it.

It made you regret your earlier actions, now that your head was slightly more clear. Less panicked. It was why you dared to reach out and take one of his hands, sliding your hand inside it. His fingers curled around it almost instinctively, giving your hand a squeeze.

"I'll be fine. I just need to get out of these clothes." You told him. It was the next thing on your to do list, and then, maybe, you wouldn't feel like you were hanging by a single thread. He didn't argue with you, though, he did take the time to jokingly argue about turning around. He'd managed to make a small smile cross your face, and, when you threatened to tell Diamondback, he quickly listened. He leaned against the car, blocking the window as you climbed inside. You found another shirt you'd brought, and changed into that instead. You exchanged your skirt for a pair of jeans, and sighed when you looked at the blood stained skirt. It was lightly colored, and you thought that the stain would never come out. It's not like you would have time to stop anywhere to really try to get it out anyways. You considered throwing it in the fire they were building inside the diner, but you shook your head. You didn't want any evidence that you'd been there, so you simply wrapped up the stained parts and buried it to the bottom of your bag. When you were done, you sat for a moment. The numbness was still there. The thoughts of what had just happened. A clean face and new clothes hadn't changed that. But, as you saw the diner burning to the ground, you thought, perhaps, the thoughts could burn with it. After a moment, you said, "You can look now." And Severen pushed himself off the car. He climbed back inside the trunk with you, sitting on the edge and lifting a cigarette to his lips. 

You climbed out to sit besides him, feeling empty but no longer panicked. A weird sense of calm had taken you, but it was unlike any you'd ever experienced before. It was truly strange, but you didn't want to speak of it in case it would disappear. You sat besides him, and, for a moment, you watched the fire. Any minute now, the five of them would come spilling out of the building, and then you'd be driving far away from your hometown. From your family. From the world you'd built yourself around. You only had a moment, so you had to tell him now.

***

"Severen?" You asked, and he hummed. He looked over at you, and you reached to take his hand again. A touch he quickly reciprocated. It felt good to have you touch him again, but he held himself back from doing any more. You almost smiled for a moment, noting how it seemed he'd returned to letting you come to him. To giving you space. For now, it seemed it was necessary. You hadn't broken down again, and that was what he wanted. He was going to need to be gentle, even if it wasn't what he was used to. If his heart could beat, it'd be pummeling away in his chest. He didn't know what you were going to say, and, for a moment, his thoughts went to the worst. You were going to ask to go home. That they'd leave you behind. They'd return your things and hope the police didn't draw a connection between you and the last two fires. Instead, you said, "I don't want to see you eat tomorrow. Or for awhile. I'd rather- I'd rather stay at a motel or something." And a wave of relief went through him. He was quick to nod, even if he knew the others might argue. Mae had let Caleb go on his own, but that was because he'd been one of them. He wouldn't have gotten far anyways. But you were human. You could leave them, and have no attachments to bring you back. But wasn't that the point? You were his, and he wanted you to decide to make him yours.

"Sure, darlin'. You won't have to see nothin'." He told you, and he told himself he'd talk to Jesse about it. He had thought tonight would be the true test, but maybe that was tomorrow. Maybe, if you didn't run, then he'd know that he'd been right. That you were the one for him. He was a little surprised when you reached over, wrapping his arm around you. He tugged you close, relaxing at the feeling of your warmth against his side. You were holding onto his hand, and he lifted it to stroke your cheek. It was a light touch, but one that made you sigh. He thought that was going to be the end of it, that perhaps you'd returned to the normalcy you'd had. If only for a moment. But, you asked,

"Is it always like this?" And Severen took a puff of his cigarette before he answered. He shook his head, letting smoke billow out of his mouth.

"Nah. Only when we hunt together." He said, and you let out a soft hum in response. One that showed you were listening, and he thought to continue. "Tomorrow, we'll probably hunt alone. Someone can keep you company while I'm gone." He said, thinking aloud. Perhaps Mae or Diamondback. You seemed to like them. And it would be good for the group, for everyone, if you had other attachments besides him. It'd make the pact stronger. You nodded, your eyes not leaving the flames.

***

After a minute of staring at the fire so long that it left images of white behind your eyes, you looked over at the brunette next to you. It had only been a day, but yesterday seemed so far away now. Severen was as handsome as the first moment you saw him. He had a cut jaw, nice cheekbones, and light eyes. His smile was infectious and unfairly charming. His voice, while spent making quick witted remarks or egging people on, was smooth and calmed you. And his hands. You glanced down at them. They were big and calloused, with thick fingers and a strength that you knew could break bones with ease. You looked up, and reached up to tangle a hand in his hair. It was soft and shaggy, and you let the tresses run through your fingers. But, not only was he a pretty picture, but he was sweet. In his own way. He was funny and liked to have fun, and he was quick with his words. He was protective and dominating, but not forceful. He was expressive, and he never really kept you guessing. At least for long and not if you really paid attention. He was all you could've hoped for, and you tried to replace the image of him with blood all over his face with the image you had of him now. Even if it worked, other things needed to be replaced too.

"Severen?" You asked again, and pulled away so you could look at his face. He looked down at you, and you watched him as he chewed slightly on his cigarette. You reached up to take it from his mouth, and he let you. He watched it closely, but you didn't put it between your lips or snuff it out. All you said was, "You can kiss me now." And Severen didn't waste a second. He leaned in, claiming your lips in an all too eager kiss. It only took him a second to reel himself back in, but you were pressing further, encouraging him on. He tilted his head, deepening the kiss and reaching to hold your waist while his arm tightened around your shoulders. His kiss made a jolt of lightening go through you just like it usually did. It made you melt and get riled up at the same time, poking the heat inside you that threatened to burst into flames. You held onto his jacket, keeping him close until you heard a bell of the door ring. He pulled back a bit, and you leaned forward to give him a small peck. It made him grin, and he moved so his nose brushed against yours. It made you smile, and then Severen copied your action, brushing your lips together once more. It was Jesse that said,

"You two sure make up fast." And this time the pair of you did break apart completely. The numb feeling was still there, but you took comfort in it. It was easier than feeling everything, and the only thing you allowed yourself to feel were the budding feelings for the man besides you. Severen was grinning from ear to ear, seeming to have slipped back into his old self. He grabbed the cigarette that you'd taken from him, took a final puff, before he was discarding it. He didn't comment about what had happened, and instead reached in his pocket to toss the keys to Jesse.

"Any ideas for where we're heading?" Severen asked, and you looked over at Jesse as well. He looked at the fire for a moment, then at the street. They didn't doubt that the police would be there soon. He said something about getting a new car in another town, and then you and Severen were climbing into the back. Severen reached up and closed the trunk door, while everyone else piled inside. Severen laid back against the side of the car, and, instead of taking the seat across from him, you used the pillow to cushion the floor of the trunk and lay with your head on his chest. You let the sound of the radio fill the silence, and you watched as your hometown slipped away from the trunk window.

You'd driven for hours, put a firm distance between you and your hometown. It seemed that you had to, with how they'd burned two different buildings down. When you finally stopped in a new town, it was only to ditch your car. Severen helped you pull yourself out of it, and it was then that they broke it to you that they were going to need to burn it. You'd protested at first, with a single,

"What?" Your voice was nearly a shriek, but Severen was quick to hold your face in his hands, making you stare up at him.

"It's just a car. We gotta make sure they don't track us, right? That they don't track you." He said, and you swallowed around a lump in your throat at the thought. Alright, perhaps you could live to part with the thing.

"Wait, can I just-" But you were already pulling away. Climbing into the driver's seat to get something. You grabbed your pair of sunglasses out from the top compartment, and then reached over to open your dashboard holder. You pulled out a pile of cassettes, and took out a mix that your friends had made for you in highschool. You looked around to see if there was anything else you'd miss, and then you reached under the passenger seat. They watched you curiously, and you pulled out a swiss-army knife your father had given you in case you ever needed it. You had never used it, but it was something that always made you feel a little bit more safe. You pulled yourself out of the car, tucking the sunglasses into your hair, and your knife and your cassette into your back pocket. When you had everything you needed, you went back up to Severen and glanced back at the car. Severen had chuckled, playfully pushing the sunglasses over your eyes to catch your attention. You bat his hands away, but you grinned up at him. You felt better, you realized. It was easy to forget, to push it away, when he didn't look how he looked earlier. They'd parked a little bit away from town, near enough to walk. You walked backwards after they set fire to the car, watching it burn as Severen slowed to make sure you didn't get left behind. Finally, after a moment, you turned and followed them towards the town. 

Days passed like nothing. Every night, you settled on the first motel you found, and, while you expected them to be broke, they were surprisingly flush with cash. You refused to think of how that could be, even if you could guess the answer. You walked up with his family, went into their room, and the seven of you played cards, smoked, and watched TV. Some of them would leave periodically to get something to eat. You could tell Severen was relieved the first night when you were still there, and he'd held you close on his lap while he did his best to win their nightly game of cards. Always after Severens meal, you two went on a small snack run. You'd go to a convenience store across the street, grabbing sodas, chips, and a bunch of other unhealthy stuff that would fill you in the meantime. Severen opened a bag of chips the second you'd given it to him to carry, and you quickly found out that, whatever he was, he _could_ eat. Just preferred not to. The trip to the store was so normal, so apart of your nightly schedule over the past few days, that you almost didn't notice the feeling inside you. You slipped back into a comfortable, purposely ignorant bliss.

Severen had even gotten a bit touchier over time, holding your waist or your hand as you walked through the store. Reaching down to try to cop a feel, if only to make you quickly swat his hands away or send him a glare. He always laughed, and you'd roll your eyes. You decided to tease him back, and pulled him down for a lingering kiss while you reached under his shirt. It was barely any contact, but, when you scratched your nails right above his belt and then pulled away, you saw a fire in his eyes. He'd followed you around the store, and one time he'd stood right besides you. You reached over, giving his thigh a squeeze before you walked off. Whatever game you had started, you obviously thought you were winning. You'd always managed to get him more hot and bothered.

Until, one of the times, while you were browsing the candy aisle and bent over to get a better look, you felt his hand trailing down your side and you didn't try to stop him. You hadn't let him get far before, and Severen paused when he reached down to your hip. Even if you'd been with them for a few days, three or four you thought, the two of you still hadn't done anything more than making out. Sometimes a little grinding, but you'd never even ventured towards over the clothes touching. It's why Severen hesitated, but was willing to take the chance you'd given him. He gave your hip a squeeze, almost as if he was silently telling you what he was planning on doing. 

While your face was flushed, you didn't correct him by pulling his hand away or sending him a glare. He stood between you and the clerk at the register, and his hand returned towards it's previous destination. His hand smoothed over the curve of your backside, giving it a soft squeeze. Your cheeks blushed even brighter as he started to massage it lightly, and perhaps you were taking a little bit too long to choose your candy. Choosing to take your time so you could enjoy the attention. The two of you didn't have much time alone, and usually didn't have enough time for heavy-petting. It was long overdue, and just that was poking a fire in your belly. And then his hand was venturing even further and rubbing in-between. Your eyes fluttered closed for a moment, your neglected sex was instantly excited by the feeling. Even if it was through the pair of jeans you'd tugged on earlier. You couldn't help it. You pushed back into the touch, and he rubbed harder in response. Right over where your hole would be. Your thoughts drifted for a moment, imagining his fingers dipping inside you instead of separated by two layers of clothes. He started rubbing circles into your jeans, and a breathy sigh left your lips. Embarrassment flushed through you from the sound you hadn't been able to contain, and you snatched a candy bar off the shelf before you were standing up straight. Severens hand moved up, settling to put his hand in your back pocket instead.

When you went to the register, your cheeks were still stained pink and Severen looked a little bit too pleased with himself. He gave your ass another squeeze, just before he pulled his hand away to reach for his wallet. He paid for your haul, and you tried your best to not let your thoughts wander as you headed back for the motel. 


	7. Chapter 7

It was harder than you thought to keep your mind clean. Severen didn't help you by fondling your ass every now and then, and you were uncomfortably riled up by the time you got to the motel. Severen only grinned and asked,

"Something wrong, darlin'? And you gave him an extra hard glare as he opened the door to the motel room. To your surprise, it was empty. Mae and Caleb had a habit of going off by themselves for reasons besides feeding, and you supposed that Jesse and Diamondback hadn't eaten yet. And Homer? Well, you set your food on the table and checked the bathroom, but he was nowhere to be found. Severen took off his leather jacket, arching a brow at you to ask, and you shook your head. The two of you stared at eachother for a moment, and then both of you fell onto your bed for the night. The kiss was all tongue and you yanked at Severens hair as he slid between your legs. The two of you could never expect to get far, even in these moments when no one was at the room. But you hoped, _prayed_ , that you could at least get to third base. Severen didn't hesitate to touch you now, groping at your breasts through your shirt, rubbing and pinching at your clothed nipples. It made your breath hitch, and you nipped at his lips and urged him on with a roll of your hips. He groaned at the contact, rutting back and slipping his hands under your shirt. While you appreciated the foreplay, your time was limited. It's why you pulled your hands from his hair and reached to unbutton the button of your jeans, quickly begging him with the words,

"Please, Severen, please touch me." And Severen didn't need to be asked twice. His hand wormed its way down your pants and you let out a frustrated whine when he rubbed you through your panties. He was such a _tease_ , and you yanked at the hair at the nape of his neck to show your frustration. He chuckled into your kiss, before tilting his head and deepening your kiss. You were already soaked, you could tell. You couldn't remember a time you'd been so pent up. But, well, you couldn't remember a time where you'd gone this long without consistent, if not unsatisfying sex. At least you'd had the privacy of your own home to masturbate, but you hadn't even had that. Severens hand finally slipped under your panties, rubbing through your folds and making you moan pathetically into his mouth. He ate it up, and you knew you were probably boosting his ego dangerously high. 

He used the calloused pad of his thumb to rub circles into your clit, nearly making you cry out at the attention and arch up into him. He started a fast pace, his thumb firmly pressing against the bundle of nerves. It made the fire roar inside your belly, and you felt his fingers gathering up your slick before traveling lower. He circled your entrance, not missing an opportunity to tease you, before he began to sink one inside. His hands were big and his fingers were thick, much thicker than yours. The feeling made you keen, and you thought that just a minute more of this and you'd be cumming around it.

Of course, he'd barely begun to pump the single digit inside of you before you heard a key in the door. You gasped, but he was ripping his hand away from your sex, and helping you button up your pants in a single second. You'd just zipped your zipper and Severen had just pushed himself off of you, deciding to pop his slick finger inside his mouth and suck your slick off, before the door opened. The two of you had sat up, but, it was clear from your flushed face that this wasn't all you'd been doing. In came Homer, a coke in his hand, and Severen glared at the younger vampire as he pulled a pillow over his crotch. He looked at the two of you, and a grin was quick to come to his face.

"Did I interrupt something?" And suddenly you understood why Severen was so mean to the kid sometimes. The pair of you sat with your backs against the headboard, as Homer had refused to leave to give you a few more minutes of privacy. He sat on the floor to watch TV, and you glared at the screen mourning your ruined orgasm. When the pair of you had not so subtly suggested, he'd replied, "Oh, go back to what you were doing. Pretend like I'm not even here." And it had earned him a pillow to the back of the head.

All hopes of him leaving were dashed when Jesse and Diamondback came back to the room, and you sunk into the bed completely defeated. Severen didn't look any better than you, and Diamondback had even asked,

"Did something happen?" As if the pair of you had a fight. You shook your head, and it wasn't long before all seven of you were back in the room. You leaned against Severens chest stared at the TV, zoning out more than anything as he combed his hands through your hair. Thought flashes through your mind. Replays of the feelings from only a little while earlier. Severen had definitely known what he was doing, and, even if you'd gotten close, you hadn't even began to touch him. Quickly, your images of Severen teasing you _flipped_ . You replayed the groan you had earned from him, imagining being able to draw more sounds like that from him. How his skilled hands would tangle into your hair, similar to the way they were petting your head now. How he would guide your head, and, probably, hold you down to slip his dick down the rest of your throat. You imagined going further, how deep he'd be able to fit inside you. If you were honest, you didn't know truly how big he was. Well, you could arrange to figure out soon. But your thoughts continued. You mused about how easily he could pick you up, hold you down. Being whatever he was did have a few advantages. You bit your lip for a moment, a particularly tantalizing image of him pinning you down by your arms, no your _throat_ , appearing in your mind.

You gulped at the thought. After a few more minutes of sulking and fantasizing, a thought occurred to you. While there was practically no hope of all of them leaving, that didn't mean that the pair of you had to stay. Usually, you weren't the type for anything as risque attempting to get off without four walls surrounding you, but desperate times called for desperate measures. You looked at the time, and bit your lip when you saw that it was 4 am. Dawn was still an hour or so away, and you looked towards the brunette sitting besides you. You leaned over to kiss his cheek, if only to catch his attention away from the TV.

"Wanna go for a walk?" You asked, and Severen arched a brow at you. Usually, you weren't one for walks at night, but he was quick to nod. Severen trailed after you everywhere, and you doubted he'd let you go out at this time of night without him. You hopped off the bed and tugged him by his hand, and Diamondback called after the pair of you,

"Watch the time." Even if you knew that was mostly for Severen. Once the door had shut behind you, you grinned and pulled him down the hall. The outside air was cool, and you giggled at the pure excitement running through you. Severen smiled along, trying to catch you by your waist as he asked,

"What's gotten into you?" And you turned around to stop and give him a grin. The pair of you had found the bottom of the stairwell. It was a small little room, but, just under the stairs, it was slightly secluded. Tucked away where no one could see. You flushed a little as you tried to think of your words, playing with his shirt as you tried to figure out how to phrase them. You were never good at flirting, and it was embarrassing what you were about to tell him. Instead, you decided to tug on his shirt and tug him back into the darkness, tip-toeing up to press kisses to his jaw. He followed you until you pushed his back against the wall, tilting his head down so he could capture your lips. His hands moved down your sides, and Severen was quick to recapture his fervor from earlier. He reached down to grip your ass, making you moan into his mouth before one of his hands moved to your front. He rubbed and cupped you through your jeans, and you arched your hips into the touch. But, before you could become completely sidetracked, you reached down to start undoing his jeans. He was quick to pull away from the kiss, his eyes swirling with lust, but he said,

"Wait, wait, not here- I wanted to do something nice-" And while you were flattered that he'd thought far ahead enough to want to plan something, you quickly shushed him. You placed a finger over his lips, before leaning up to peck them. When you fell back on your heels, you told him,

"Don't get ahead of yourself, cowboy." And you were surprised by the surge of confidence that ran through you. You didn't know why, but that was the boost you needed. He smiled down at you, grinning wickedly at the nickname before he watched you fall down to your knees. You unbuckled his belt, deciding that this was the best way to answer a few of your questions. You'd pushed his shirt up as you made work of his pants, sucking a hickey into his side, before you were reaching in to rub him through his underwear. He hardened under his fingertips, and you made work of trailing little red spots above his waistband. When you got to his happy-trail, you nosed along the line of hair before you were finally pulling his underwear down and letting his cock spring free.

It was long and thick, and slightly bigger than you'd expected. But, that didn't stop you from licking the side all the way to the tip, wrapping your lips around it and starting to massage it with your tongue. While you'd only really been with one guy, you had some practice. Even if Severens dick was bigger than what you were used to working with. You looked up, seeing that he'd leaned his head back against the wall. He was never one to stay quiet long, and he quickly began coaxing you through it. 

"Just like that, yeah. You can take a little bit more, can't you?" He asked, his hand finding its way to the back of your head. You'd started up a steady rhythm, and he lightly pushed you to take more and more of his length. Your jaw was already starting to ache, but you forced through it and took him down deeper. His voice had gone a little rough around the edges, and he said, "Good girl. Just like that." And, god, you were wet just from the sound of his voice. His hips moved with the rhythm you'd started, pushing himself further and further down your throat until he nudged the back of it. You did you best not to gag, but, soon, it seemed as thought he was no longer content to let you keep control. He paused your head, pushing it further down to earn a muffled whine and you quickly did your best to keep your throat relaxed. He grinned, and then said, "Keep that pretty mouth of yours open, darlin'." He said, reaching down to massage your jaw. He gripped you by your hair, keeping it so you couldn't move your head as he began thrusting into your mouth. His place started slow and nice, giving you a moment to get used to it before all you could do was let your mouth hang open as he pistoned himself inside your mouth. You could feel tears pricking in your eyes, the quick pace making it so drool was dribbling down your chin. You could feel his dick twitch inside your mouth, hear him as he whispered huskily, "Yeah, just a little bit more," and then- 

You heard heavy footsteps stomping down the stairwell and Severen ripped you off his dick. He was quick to tuck himself away and fix his pants, and he helped you up off of the ground. You did your best to wipe the drool off your chin as Severen fixed his belt, and the pair of you walked around the stairs to act as if the pair of you were heading back up. You passed a stranger, obviously one staying in the motel just like you, and you could hear Severen cursing under his breath. The only thing you could make out was,

"Fucking blueballs-" And you covered your mouth, stifling a laugh. He whipped his head towards you, and you quickly cleared your throat to cover it up. Still, you thought perhaps it was just a little funny. 

_Subtle revenge_ , you thought. Even if it hadn't been intentional. He scoffed, looking around and then backing you up against the wall. You squeaked, and one of his hands cupped your chin and squeezed your cheeks. His light eyes were shrouded in darkness, and he leaned down close to whisper,

"Laugh at me again and I'll fuck that mouth raw. Got it?" He asked, and you tried not to think about the heat pooling in your belly from his threat. You knew that Severen would never do anything you didn't want him to, but the idea of him being even less restrained? Of him taking control? It made your eyes hooded as you stared up at him. You gave him a quick nod, and he looked over your face for a moment before leaning down to recapture your lips. He sucked your bottom lip into his mouth, letting his teeth graze against it in a way that made you whimper. Your mouth was already sensitive, and his kiss was bruising. His hands wandered, groping whatever he pleased and making you arch into the touch. When his thumb rubbed over one of your nipples, you grabbed his hand and arched into his touch. You whimpered, the sound needy and pathetic, and, for a moment, you thought Severen was gonna hike you around his hips and take you right there. He didn't, and a wave of disappointment filled you. Instead, he swiped his thumb across your bottom lip and said, "Car?" And you thought he was a genius.

Your "clan" had picked a truck with a cap earlier that evening, one that Severen had taken straight off the lot. The first night you'd watched him do it, you'd been fascinated with how quick he was with a hanger. The second the doors were closed the pair of you were back on eachother. There was a semblance of privacy, one that let the pair of you slow down just the tiniest bit. He kissed you over and over until you were putty in his hands, and you heard him start to unfasten his own belt so you could finish what you had started. 

A knock on the window of the truck nearly scared the shit out of both of you, and Severen looked through the darkened window to see the slightly dirty face of his brother. Caleb. Severen leaned back in the seat, cursing, before he began cranking the window down.

“How can I help you, pilgrim?” He asked, and the annoyance was clear in his voice. Whatever this intrusion was for, it wasn’t welcome. Caleb smiled, a tinge of knowing in his eyes, and he gave you a smile before he said,

“Diamond’ wanted me to tell you that sun’s up in a half hour.” Caleb said, and Severen gave him a hard glare. Caleb was chewing a toothpick, and it was one of the first times you’d seen him without Mae. It seemed that cock-blocking the pair of you was a game that both of Severen’s brothers enjoyed.

“Tell her I said thank you.” Severen replied, and then went to close the conversation with a few rolls of the window. Before he could, Caleb piped up. From the look in Severen’s eye, you almost thought he was gonna give him a black eye.

“There’s a camera right there, y’know.” Caleb said, pointing towards a security camera neither of you had spotted before. Right under it was a sign telling them that the parking lot was under twenty-four hour surveillance. You blushed bright red, suddenly thankful for the intrusion. The brunette besides you gave you a look, and he seemed to be able to tell that if you were going to continue your earlier action, it wasn’t going to be here. Severen sighed and shook his head, then gave Caleb a grin as fake as canned cheese.

“Thank you, Caleb. You can leave now.” Severen said, his voice dripping with faux-kindness. Caleb must’ve enjoyed pulling on Severens chain, or at least he might’ve enjoyed brushes with death. Because Caleb had the gall to continue as he stepped back, saying,

“Oh, I might go for a walk. Isn’t that what y’all said you were gonna do? You two get far?” And Caleb’s double-meaning wasn’t lost on the two of you. Severen opened the door, as if he really was going to beat Calebs ass, and the light haired brunette laughed and jogged away from the silent threat of violence. Severen slammed the door closed and sighed, leaning back in his seat with his eyes closed for a moment. You were still curled up next to him, and you gently pet at his chest before you laid his head on his shoulder. It seemed neither of you were getting far that night, and you opted to cuddle up to him instead. Softly, you told him,

“We’ll figure something out.” And he let out a soft grunt in response. He reached down to fix himself in his pants, giving his dick a squeeze to try to lessen the pressure. You leaned over, kissing at his jaw until he turned his head to press his lips against yours. After a quick slide of his lips, he offered,

“We could get in the back.” And you gave him a small glare in response. He sighed, and you could practically hear his train of thought. _Swing and a miss_. He leaned back in to give you another short, sweet kiss, and you ran your hand over his thigh, trying to find purchase. His breath hitched for a moment, and he said, “Don’t tease.” Before he leaned back in, deepening the kiss. 

You didn’t get to do much more than makeout in the truck, but you’d taken your extra bout of time with eachother to talk lightly. It was nice, just laying on his chest and listening to him speak. You’d gotten to ask a few questions, and you’d specifically asked about his age. He’d grinned for a moment as he laid his head back, and vaguely said,

“You know about the Chicago fire?” He asked, and you furrowed your brows. It didn’t take long to put together what he was telling you. They set fires each night, and you lifted your head off his chest.

“That was you?” You asked, poking his chest. He laughed, nodding and continued with,

“Me and Jesse. It was just me and Jesse back then.” You hummed, thinking about what he’d told you. You tried to remember what year that fire was, thinking back to your highschool classes. You wanted to say 1870-1872. It was the 80’s. The _1980’s_. That meant that Severen was over a hundred years old, not including any time before that and the years he’d spent as a human. And Jesse, you assumed, was older. You propped your chin on his chest, staring at him for a moment. You smiled as you said,

“Homer was right.” You whispered, and he furrowed his brows and looked at you. “You are too old for me.” You clarified, laughing at the look that crossed his face. He rolled his eyes, before quickly grabbing you and tickling your side. You laughed, almost a little too loud, but he was pressing further, pressing you back until you fell back against the seat. He tickled you until you were crying for mercy, and he said,

“I guess I’ll just have to eat you then.” He teased, playfully growling and mouthing at your neck as he tickled your sides. It took several cries of uncle before he ceased his tickling and clamped his lips over yours. He’d climbed on top of you, settling between your legs and trying his best to fit in the cramped truck. You giggled into the kiss, the after-shocks of adrenaline still running through you. You combed your fingers through the back of his hair, letting him pull away from the kiss to trail kisses to the corner of your lips, and then up your jaw. 

“You won’t.” You told him, and you could feel that it was true to the core of your bones. “You like me too much.” You said with a giggle, and he kissed right under your ear before he was pulling away. He pulled so he could stare at you, brushing your hair away from your face and trailing his fingers over the exposed line of skin of your neck.

“Plus, I’d rather eat you out instead.” He teased, and you scoffed and pushed him away.


	8. Chapter 8

The pair of you had to haul ass back to the room before the sun came over the horizon, but you were almost sure that you'd seen his back smoking when he'd struggled to get the key in. Severen slammed the door behind you, locking it, and Jesse only commented,

"Cutting it close." But neither of you needed to be told. They were just happy that Severen was back before anything bad could happen. The two of you took your showers for the night, and you did your best to dry your hair as you sat on you and Severens bed for the night. You recounted the days in your mind. You'd been gone for four, you figured. Your parents knew not to expect you for a week, but what would happen if you didn't come back by then? You bit your lip, trying to push those thoughts away. You were sure you could circle back, or maybe just call them. Tell them that you met someone. Sure, it would sound crazy, but at least they'd have something to latch onto when you didn't come home. Finally, you tried to shake your thoughts away completely. You didn't even know how long you'd stay with them. Stay with Severen. It wasn't like the pair of you had made it official. Well, in that sense. You didn't have to make any real decisions just yet, but you did need to tell them  _ something _ . It seemed your thoughts wouldn't let go as easily as you thought.

Severen seemed to sense your muddled thoughts, and he reached out to rub your side. He tugged you by your sleep shirt, and you sighed as you put the towel on the bedside table. You pulled yourself under the covers, letting him tug you close until he was holding you. You laid so you were face to face, and Severen pressed kisses all over your cheeks. He did it until you giggled, and you pushed him away in a feeble attempt to get him to stop. He grinned back at you, connecting your lips for a short kiss before he was pulling you close to his chest. He couldn't ask what was wrong, at least not with everyone else there. Instead, he lightly rubbed your back until your stress melted away, and you let out a soft sigh. It wasn't long before everyone was shutting off the lights, wishing eachother a goodnight. The sun had risen above the horizon, and they did the best to block it out. You nosed his chest, and he tugged you closer. After a few minutes, you could feel yourself drifting to sleep.

The next night it was like wash, rinse, repeat. The only thing that was different was that the clan had scored themselves an RV, and you gave Severen a confused look when he told you that they wouldn't be staying in a motel that day. It was Jesse that cut in, explaining,

"We've been slacking off these past couple of nights, but we gotta put some real distance between us and these towns." He said, but you were still lost. You sat in one of the little pop-out tables, with Severen across you. Caleb and Mae leaned against the counter-top across from the two of you, and quickly explained,

"We're gonna drive through the next couple of nights." Mae said, giving you a sense of clarity. You looked to see what Jesse was building. It seemed to be a block of most of the windshield, and, with the goggles hanging around his neck, you guessed that was the only way he'd be able to stop himself from getting burned alive. Or, well, whatever they were.

"It'll be easier now that we have someone that can fill up the gas tank." Caleb said with a laugh, and you quickly realized that they meant you. You flushed, wondering just how much time you'd be spending in the RV. You wondered why it was so important that they get far away, and then you reminded yourself about what they did each night.

_ At least the RV has a back bedroom _ , you told yourself. After the six of them had stopped to eat and they'd loaded up on some food you could take with you, you'd hit the road. So, any time that you and Severen could've spent alone was spent in the RV instead. With his family. You'd hoped that you could've sneaked off at some point, perhaps found someplace private for the two of you. But it was impossible when you were trapped with his entire family. At least you were given the back bedroom, as well as Severen by default. You were falling asleep the second the sun rose, and Severen guided you to the back as you rubbed at your eyes. You closed the door behind you, and Severen began shedding his outer layers. You didn't feel like changing into your pajamas, simply deciding to just ditch your jeans and climb into the bed. Severen didn't bother to change his jeans, and you two were curled together in the back bedroom as the sun climbed up into the sky.

Perhaps it had been what Severen had said to you the night before, or your own sexual frustration, but you were plagued with images you wished were real. You dreamt of kissing Severen, of feeling his hands reach between your thighs. Of him trailing kisses down your neck, down your chest and stomach, before finally nestling between your legs. You dreamt of his tongue, warm and wet, licking you until your thighs were trembling with each flit. It felt so real, the appendage running through your folds. He circled your clit, gaining more and more speed until-

You awoke with a gasp and it took you a moment to gather your bearings. The first thing you noticed was that the RV had stopped. Obviously, Jesse had gotten too tired and all the vampires had decided to sleep for the day. Secondly, there was a hand around your wrist. You went to move your hand, only to realize it had traveled down into your panties. And the hand around your wrist was Severens. It took you another moment to realize what you'd been doing, and suddenly certain things seemed to make a little bit more sense.  _ No wonder it felt so real _ , you thought. Severen was behind you so you couldn't see his face, but you could feel his breath on your ear and his other hand sliding up your throat. The coldness of it made you shiver, but he only responded with a squeeze.

"Sweet dreams?" He asked, his voice husky and deep in your ear. It was still thick from sleep, and, for a moment, you were surprised you'd woken him up. Of course, you didn't have to wonder how that happened for long. "Playing with yourself and grinding back against me? Are you tryin' to ask for something, darlin'?" He said, and then you felt open mouthed kisses being pressed along the line of your neck. You bit back a noise, but you decided that this opportunity was as good as any. At least you were in a separate room. You quickly nodded your head, and Severen bumped your hand away to replace it with his.

You tried your best to keep yourself quiet, but it was no use. Severens hand was rubbing fast, hard circles right into your clit. You were already pent up, close to the edge, so the added pressure had you squeezing your thighs around his hand. Severen covered your mouth with his other hand, keeping you quiet as he pushed you further and further towards the edge. He was rocking his hips slowly against your backside, making you wetter and wetter as you thought about him slipping it inside. Your hand gripped each of his wrists, and you twitched lightly as you tried to pull your hips away from the feeling. It was getting to be too much. Severen chuckled in your ear, whispering,

"That feel good? You needed this, huh? You were so needy, so cute in your sleep. Just a little too loud." He said, and you could feel your eyes slipping closed as he paused his words to suck a hickey under your ear. "But I've got you now. And you're gonna cum on my fingers like a good girl, aren't you?" You let out a small, muffled sound and quickly nodded, even if your orgasm was still just out of reach. You could feel the coil inside of you tightening, ready to snap. His hand slid against your mouth, his fingers teasing the seam of your lips. Almost instinctively, you parted your lips and let him thrust his fingers inside. You sucked on them as he pushed you closer, feeling him nip and suck marks into your neck. He was rubbing his fingers against your tongue, the feeling surprisingly familiar to when you sucked him off. It occurred to you then that that's what Severen was probably imagining him for himself, and you could practically feel your sex start to throb. The fingers in your mouth allowed you to say a quick,

"I'm gonna cum." And he withdrew his slicked fingers and his hand firmly pressed back over your mouth when you felt the coil begin to snap. He effectively muffled your moan, and your hips lifted and bucked as your orgasm racked through you. Euphoria hit you like a tidal wave, and Severen massaged you through it. He only pulled his fingers away when you began to shiver and twitch, and he reached up to suck his fingers clean. You turned to watch him, your eyes dark and hazy as you panted. Your head was still cloudy and hazy, distracted by the pull of sleep and your orgasm. You were ecstatic. Finally, you'd gotten a semblance of release, even if it was rushed. Despite the haze of your tired mind, it didn't stop you from tugging for his belt, silently asking if he wanted the same. His hand cupped both of your cheeks, melding his mouth over yours as his other pulled out from under you and went to tug himself free. 

The pair of you had to be quick and quiet, so Severens mouth stayed pressed over yours as he wrapped his hand around yours and guided it, stroking himself quickly to completion. He tugged up your shirt until it was bunched up under your breasts, taking his time to grope and tease them as well. He stifled his groans with your mouth, and you could practically feel when he finally slipped over the edge. And you could literally feel the ropes of his cum hitting your stomach. His hand slowed and pulled away, but you continued to stroke him to milk his release. He twitched and pulled away to sign, his hips stuttering. You thumbed the slit, making him twitch before he was yanking you back in. You finally pulled your hand away, letting him relax, and he pulled away to watch you copy him and suck his cum off your fingers. His eyes darkened, even as he tucked himself away, and you watched in confusion when he scooted down the bed and began licking and sucking at the skin of your stomach. You giggled, digging your hands into his hair as he licked long stripes up your flesh, and licked you clean. He dragged himself up the length of your body, laying between your legs, pressing his lips back to yours, and licking his way into your mouth. You could taste the salt on his tongue, and you wrapped your arms around his shoulders. The two of you laid like that, basking in the afterglow of both of your releases until Severen moved to lay back at your side and bring you close to his chest.

When the night finally came, the two of you seemed to be in higher moods. The pair of you were even more enwrapped in eachother, and neither of you seemed willing to stray far. You'd managed to land in a whole new state, and, for once, you were content to watch it pass by in the windows. When the RV finally lost its appeal, and the need for a different mode of transportation became necessary, it was back to what you were used to. And, faintly, you realized a week had passed. The family was quick, and they didn't need a full explanation when you told them that, soon, you needed to call home. Soon, not necessarily tonight. You were able to hang back in the RV while Severen went to get a bite to eat, and, once he was done, you all went to destroy any trace of the RV. You drove to the next town over, simply so you wouldn't draw attention to yourselves.

You hadn't paid attention to when Jesse and Severen went to order a room, instead looking through the pamphlets the motel lobby had. You were distracted by the thoughts of home, of what you would even say to them. When the seven of you climbed upstairs to head towards the second floor, Severen stopped at a room before the others did. You sent him a curious glance, and the brunette sent you a small grin.

"I thought you'd like some privacy." He said, and your questioning glance quickly turned into one of realization. You looked at the door he'd stopped at, and then at where the others were headed.  _ Separate rooms _ , you thought. You had to give Severen credit. He could definitely be smart when he wanted to be.

"Oh, did you?" You teased him, and he laughed and opened the door to the room while the rest of them continued down the hall. You sent them a wave, and Severen held the door and let you go in first. He'd moved both of the bags into one hand so he could teasingly grab your ass, and you squeaked as you swatted his hand away. You laughed, looking around the room. It was a single bed, with a bathroom. It was about half the size of your trailer, but it had a TV and a table. You tugged on your sleeves as Severen carried both of your bags in. He set them on the floor, grabbed the do not disturb hanger, and set it outside the door before he fell on the bed. He flipped onto his back, staring up at you. You shook your head at him, looking around the room to catch all the details. You could feel Severens gaze still on you, feel his hand gently tug at the skirt you were wearing that night to bring you closer, but you teased him by not meeting his gaze. 

When you finally looked at him, you saw that he had sat up and that he was rubbing his knees. A slow grin crossed his face, and he tried to tug you closer once again. This time, you listened. You let him tug you between his legs, his arms quick to wrap around your waist. You tugged him closer, wrapping your arms around his shoulders and pulling him so he leaned his head against your stomach. You ran your fingers through his hair, scratching softly against his scalp. You heard him make a small noise, before he moved his head and lifted your shirt up an inch. He kissed the exposed skin, pulling your skirt down ever so slightly so he could nip at your hip bones. You bit back your grin, and any noises trying to escape you. After a moment, you said,

"So, is this the 'nice' thing you were planning?" You asked him, referring to a few nights before when you'd been under the stairs. You heard him snort against your skin. He nosed your stomach, before he looked up at you. Just like the first time he looked at you, every time you looked at his darkish blues you could feel butterflies in your stomach. You caressed his face with your hand, and he said,

"One of the things. But nah, darlin'. I have something else planned for that." He said, and you laughed lightly at that. 

"Then, what exactly did you have planned for right now?" You asked, and you watched the slow grin that came over his face. 

You gripped at the covers, tilting your hips up to pull yourself away or push further you couldn't tell. Your moans were high and whiny as Severen held your legs open, flicking his tongue against your core. He'd been eating you out for over a half hour, drawing away to kiss your thighs whenever you got too close. He wanted to draw it out, edge you over and over to make up for the quickies you'd been attempting ever since the pair of you had left your hometown. You cried out at the way he flicked his tongue over your sensitive bundle of nerves, the feeling of his fingers teasing your entrance nearly enough to send you over the edge with how long he'd been drawing it out. You could feel your orgasm drawing closer and closer, until it was almost within reach. Just for him to pull away and suck another hickey into your inner thigh. You let out a long whine, but all Severen did was chuckle and graze his teeth against the spot. You shivered, rolling your hips up for more.

"Please, please, please," You whispered over and over, and Severen pulled away to watch as you pleaded down at him. He smiled as he slipped the first of his fingers in, rubbing against your walls in a way that had you laying your head back on the pillows. You closed your eyes, biting your lip as Severen trailed kisses over everywhere except where you needed him most. No matter if you begged for faster or harder, Severen wouldn't listen. He pushed you slowly, until three of his fingers were opening you up and making you arch your back. You had long ago abandoned your words, only able to let out a series of gasps and whines. You were near tears, and your thighs were shaking when he finally started to circle your clit with his tongue. A small, "Fuck," Left your lips, and Severen couldn't stifle his laugh. You were gripping his hair, trying his best to hold him closer to your heat. But Severen was too strong, and he pulled away to ask,

"You close? You wanna cum?" As if he hadn't been edging you for what seemed like forever. There was that  _ stupid _ grin on his face, but you kept your snide remarks to yourself. Your words left your lips in a quick cry, a streamless plead of,

"Yes, yes, yes," Before he smirked and dove back between your legs. His fingers and tongue worked you faster and faster, seemingly setting your skin on fire. The heat inside you was growing and growing, the coil tightening and fighting. Until you felt it snap, and the white hot heat burned behind your eyelids. A strangled cry left your lips, and your hips jerked, but Severen followed them. He followed them until you were twitching and tears had slipped out of your eyes. So you fell back into a heap on the bed when he finally gave you mercy. You twitched for a moment until he was done, and Severen pulled back to rub his hands down your thighs as you fell back down to earth. 

It wasn't long that later that night the two of you went to get something to eat for you. You'd decided on some late night takeout, and the two of you ate it on the bed as you flipped through the channels. It wasn't that you didn't like his family, but it felt so much better to only have to share a room with Severen. The two of you could do whatever you wanted, whenever you wanted. The room even had a phone.

While you'd been spending the evening entertaining yourself in other ways, your need to call back home hit you the second you glanced at it. This was about as much privacy as you ever were going to get, and Severen caught you staring. He arched a brow at you, and you ran a hand through your hair before you sighed,

"Just thinking about calling home. What I'll tell my parents." You said, biting your lip and furrowing your brow. You didn't know what you'd tell them. That you were across the country? With a group of killers? And that you were kinda-dating one of them? It would sound crazy, but who's to say you hadn't had a mental break after the bar? Or the diner? 

"Tell them you found a job." Severen said, shrugging. "That you're thinking about staying here until summers over." He finished, and you thought it over. It wasn't a bad plan. You still sighed and settled against the sheets, not moving to grab the phone. Even with that figured out, you couldn't force yourself to move to grab it. Now, there was another issue bothering at your mind.

"Sev?" You asked, and he looked over at the call of the affectionate nickname. "Where do you see this going?" You asked him, and you weren't surprised by the way he nearly choked on his takeout.


	9. Chapter 9

Jesse cleaned out his gun, shaking his head. He didn't like this. He didn't like this one bit. Retaliation and rebellion? He expected that from Mae and Caleb, but Severen had latched onto vampirism like a natural born killer. While Severen definitely had his own personality and opinions, he'd always held Jesse's decisions as word of law because Severen had _respect_. Respect for him and for the abilities vampires had. For the code they upkept. For those older and those in charge.

"I don't like this at all." He drawled, but Diamondback was shaking her head at him. He didn't care as much when Diamondback argued with him. She was his loyal opposition, but he shook his head when she said,

"It's not that bad, Jesse." But to him, it was. Severen was _changing_. He was making decisions without asking Jesse first, and distancing himself from the group. Jesse pulled the cigarette out of his mouth, blowing it out in front of him.

"I have known Severen for over a hundred years, and never," He said, pointing out in front of him. "Has he asked for a different room. She's a bad influence, and she still hasn't changed." He said, and Caleb let out a small scoff and shook his head. Jesse gave him a glare, and Caleb said,

"Jess, think about it. He's never _had_ anyone to need a separate room with." Caleb rationed, but all Jesse did was click his jaw. He still didn't like this, but it wasn't that he didn't like you. You were fine. Kind. You'd been kinder than most to them, especially given the fact that you weren't one of them. But Severen was like a son to him, more than Homer could even be. He remembered the days when it was just the two of them. Severen had always been an obedient soldier back then, but now? He was doing things that Jesse never thought he would. But, part of him knew that Caleb was right. He saw the way Severen lit up around you, could see the lingering gazes and touches. He knew Severen and you were going to need your space eventually, for their own sakes, but that didn't mean that he had to like it. He didn't have to like that suddenly you, whether knowingly or not, had become his center of gravity. And not his family.

"She's slowing us down. Cops almost caught us back in Clovis." He said, but that argument was flimsy on its own. Whether or not she was with them wouldn't have changed that Mae and Caleb had been sloppy, and that it was them that had drawn them right to them. Mae even admitted that with a,

"You can't blame her for that. That was us." So, he tried to support it with, 

"She eats three times a day, if not more. We keep needing to stop for her sake." And he knew none of them could argue that. If they didn't need to take your eating needs into account, they could've been a few towns ahead by now. But what exactly were they rushing towards? They had nowhere to be and eternity to get there. Still, Jesse didn't even know what he was arguing for. He was frustrated, but he knew it was silly. Jesse didn't know what he wanted, and that's what made him most frustrated. Caleb still shook his head.

"Well, whaddya want to do then, Jess? Kill her? Now, that," He said, pointing straight at the older man. "That's a great idea. That's something Severen would definitely get behind." He said sarcastically, and Jesse glared at him. His eyes flicked to Mae, but what could he say in response? He knew they couldn't kill her. Unlike Mae, Severen wouldn't tolerate even a threat to her life. He was an expressive man to put it kindly. A loose canon to put it plainly. If Severen even heard so much as a suggestion, he'd blow. There's no telling what he'd do if any of them actually did it. And Jesse, most of all, didn't want to have to get into a fight with Severen. So, he looked at Homer. He'd been unusually quiet, and Jesse glanced at him to give him a floor to speak on. It took the kid a minute, but he finally said,

"It's not like Severens acting any different than the way you acted when you found your mates. If he wants her to choose it, let her." And the four of them were surprised from the even-tempered way Homer was going about this. The boy was usually skeptical, cynical, and vengeful at best. It was more in character when he said, "If she doesn't soon, he'll probably end up turning her or killing her on accident anyways." And there was the Homer that they'd known for the past couple of decades. But, to some degree, Jesse didn't doubt that the kid was right. Accidents happened, especially when that person was Severen. None of them spoke for a moment, and then Jesse sighed. Resigned.

"Whatever happens, happens." He said, and the rest of his sentence went unsaid. _And none of us are gonna do anything to stop it when it does._

***

You hadn't known what to expect when you asked Severen that question and maybe that was for the best. Severen hadn't set his takeout to the side or even stopped his chewing when he said,

"Best case scenario? You become one of us." And that was it. As if it was that simple. One day you'd ask for the bite and do exactly what he did every night. You knew there would be more to it than that. You'd be like Jesse and Diamondback, Caleb and Mae. You'd be a couple forever, and truly apart of their family. Still, you stared at him, and a morbid sense of curiosity grew. 

"Worst case scenario?" You asked, meaning for it to be a joke but your words fell flat. Severen stopped his chewing then. You hadn't expected him to become so serious from the idea, but his jaw slowed and he stared down at the takeout in his hands. Moved his chopsticks and pushed the food around in the container. He was taking his time with answering and you almost thought he wouldn't answer altogether. It only took you another second to decide that perhaps you didn't want to know. "Y'know what- Nevermind." You said quickly, and he lifted his head then. His eyes were serious, and he was the quietest you'd ever seen him.

"Do you still think we're gonna hurt you?" It was a sudden question, but one that made you freeze. As if he'd ran a steel blade, or his teeth, over your neck instead of asked a question. You'd been trying your best to ignore what they were. Ignore what they did every night. It could flicker in your head for a moment, but if it ever really caught fire- Well, you didn't know how you'd react. You hadn't let it happen yet. You hadn't let any flame of emotion melt the numbness that you'd felt since your hometown. Your feelings and mental state had frozen, and this conversation was threatening that block of ice.

"I- I don't know. No? Not really. It's just the fact that you can-" But a lump was welling in your throat. Every second you spent on this topic was like picking at the block. Driving an ice pick into it. He set his takeout aside then and went to reach for you. He gripped your arms, telling you,

"I would never let anything happen to you, darlin'." He said, and you knew he meant it to be sweet. But your throughts were drifting to what he'd do if anyone tried. _He'd kill them if anyone tried,_ you thought. You almost didn't hear his next words the thought was so loud in your mind. "But if you're worried about what we can do, then become one of us." He said, and that was a particularly hard swing towards the block of ice you were so desperately trying to preserve. He continued on, about how great it would be, but it was falling on deaf ears. You didn't hear his argument or his persuasion. All you heard was the sound of him shattering your ice block. You gripped his arms tighter and tighter, but he didn't even seem to notice. He smoothed a hand over your face, and this time you did hear him. The touch had brought you back, if not for a moment. His voice was barely a whisper as he said, "You don't have to decide tonight," But you didn't let him finish. Images of the diner flashed in front of your eyes. That would become your life. That was what he was asking of you. You didn't think before you said,

"No," And he blinked. Almost as if he hadn't heard you. "No, Sev, I can't- I can't," Tears were pooling in your eyes as the diner flashed in front of you. You remembered the smell, the _blood_. The sound their skin had made when they tore into it, and the sound her body made when it fell on the ground. Whatever was left of your ice block had caught flames, and tears streamed out of your eyes freely then. Severen moved towards you and a constant stream of, "No, no, no,* Left your lips when he tried to hold you. To calm you down. He was saying something to try to ease you, but it was drowned out by the images that were flashing in your mind. By the fact that he expected you to, one day, do the same. He was holding you to his chest, and you were crying so hard it hurt. He rubbed your arm, his hand cold over your skin.

"It's okay, you don't have to. You don't have to." He said, rocking you back and forth. But that was a lie. He was lying to you, and it ate him up inside. If you wanted to be one of them, truly one of them, and be with him? You would have to change. Sooner rather than later. But he told you, over and over again, the lie until your cries finally calmed down. You relaxed in his arms, but he could still feel the wetness against his skin. He ran his fingers through your hair, until you sniffled and tucked yourself into the crook of his neck. Almost as if you were crying. "I'm not gonna make you do anything." He told you, and that was the only nugget of truth. That was what he'd decided the moment he'd met you, and it was more of a reminder to himself than to you. He wasn't going to push you, and, mentally, he berated himself for even bringing it up. It was supposed to be subtle, a slow process. But Severen was as subtle as a jackhammer.

But you were curled up in his arms, warm and with a beating heart, and he couldn't really be upset with himself, upset at all, when you were like this. He held you for the rest of the night, grounding you as the ice block melted completely and you had to confront the waves of feelings it brought with it. You were quiet for a moment, for more than a moment, before you asked,

"Why did you kill them?" Your voice was thick and cracked, and you cleared it to try to get the words out. Severen ran his hand through your hair, duckinf down so he could press a kiss to your hair. You almost thought you were going to have to be more specific, but he knew what you meant.

"I thought it would make you happy. For them to be gone. They hurt you, so I thought hurting them," He sighed. "I thought you'd want revenge." He said, and you frowned. You had wanted revenge, but that wasn't revenge. You quickly told him so.

"Revenge would've been, like, cheating on him with you. Or, like, shoving you in his face. That- That wasn't revenge, Sev." You told him, and you practically heard the way that he swallowed. He ran a hand over your back, and you could feel him fighting a sigh.

"Yeah, I know." He said, and you guessed that was the closest to an apology you were ever going to get from him. You ducked into him wrapping your arms around him and pulling him against you tighter. He followed you, wrapping his arms around you so tight that you thought he'd never let go. You let out a shaky breath, rubbing your cheek against the cold expanse of his neck. The coldness what what you needed. You felt too hot.

"Does it- Does it ever bother you?" You asked, but you felt, from the way he moved, that he didn't know what you meant. You couldn't say the word, so, instead, you said, "What you do every night?" And he hummed then. 

"No." He said honestly, and a part of you expected that. You remember what he'd said so many nights ago. _Do you feel bad every time you eat a steak? It's the food chain._ You had guessed that he wouldn't have felt much remorse, but Severen had a way of surprising you. "Not anymore. After the first time, it's like," He paused, as if he couldn't find the words to describe it. "It's as easy as breathing, and it's just," You could practically hear him salivating at the thought. You remembered how energized, how _happy_ , he'd been after killing. His first thought had been to find you and kiss you, maybe do more if the others hadn't interrupted. If you hadn't freaked out. "It's the best thing you'll ever taste." He finished, and you pulled away so you could stare at him then.

Severen was staring at the wall, almost as if he could look through it. You watched the way he gulped, wondering what he was thinking about. Was he thinking about what he'd eaten that night? The life he'd taken only a few hours before? Or was his mind somewhere else, somewhere you'd never know? Your mind went back to that night. Now that you'd allowed yourself to inspect it, look it over instead of pressing it into the foremost part of your brain, it didn't hurt nearly as much. Well, it hurt, but the pain had already been felt. The tears had already been cried. You inspected it like a photograph in your mind. It came over you like a wave, but it didn't knock you off your feet. Not when Severen was holding you like this. 

"What's it like- Afterwards?" You asked, and that seemed to break whatever train of thought he was on. He smacked his lips, as if he was suddenly parched. You wondered if talking about this was a bad idea, but Severen answered you anyways.

"It's like," He stopped and laughed to himself. "It's like sex." He said, and you laughed in surprise. It felt good to laugh, and the noise surprised you more than what he'd said. You pulled away a little bit further, asking,

"What?" And he just snickered and shook his head.

"It's- It's just good and it's good everywhere. I don't- I can't explain it. That's the only thing I could think of." He said, and you sighed, relaxing back into him and laying your head on his shoulder. He gave your waist a squeeze and both of you were quiet for a moment. You repeated his words in your head, laughing lightly to yourself. That was as best of a description as he could give you, and, if you hadn't had any time with Severen, you wouldn't have thought that that was worth it. But you weren't gonna tell him that. You didn't think his ego needed another boost. Still, now it had your curiosity peaked. You supposed you wouldn't ever know, unless you decided to change and find out for yourself. But, those thoughts were too easy to push away. As curious as you were, that wasn't strong enough to sway you. Severen continued after a moment, seeming to have found a better way to describe it. "It's like an adrenaline high. Hell, it's kinda like getting high." He said, and you couldn't help it. Both of you let out a soft laugh, and you ended it with a hum. You bit your tongue, keeping your comments to yourself. You had so many questions, and you decided to spend the rest of the night asking whatever came to mind.

***

When Severen told Jesse the next night that he'd told you everything _and_ that you didn't need to change, Jesse hadn't even known what to say. He'd stared at the brunette, disbelief in his eyes. Severen had to be smarter than this. Never had he ever done something so _stupid_ before.

"You did _what?_ " Jesse snapped, and Diamondback didn't try to interject then. Nor did Caleb or Mae. Severen had simply come by to grab something from their room before they hit the road, a lighter he'd loaned to Jesse, and Jesse had asked how the separate rooms went. Severen stared at him, as if he didn't realize what the issue was. But the issue was clear. Severen had fucked up. "Severen, she's _not_ one of us. That's a problem." Jesse said, as if he had to remind him of that fact. She was human. She wasn't one of them, and she still didn't even seem willing to change. It didn't help that Severen told her that she didn't have to. Severen licked his lips before he said,

"She- She had questions. I wanted her to know to make her feel better about it. She's warming up to it now." He said, but Jesse was seeing red. He couldn't believe that Severen had been so stupid. He'd told a human all of their secrets. Things they weren't supposed to know unless they became one of them. And it seemed like now she didn't even have the intention to.

"You said that she cried." Jesse said, and part of him knew, knew, that he shouldn't have encouraged this. Sure, mates were a split second thing, but maybe Severen wasn't supposed to have a companion. Maybe, he couldn't handle what came with it. 

"That was before! I answered her questions afterwards, and she's really- She's really comin' around, Jesse." But Jesse didn't believe him. He wouldn't believe it until she was bit and she fed. He'd been lenient with her, because this was _Severens_ mate. The man who he thought would know what to do and what not to do. It seemed like everyone was capable of making mistakes. "She's calling her parents right now." And that single sentence made the tension in the room snap.

"Severen," Jesse took a step forward. "She could be telling them about us. Or calling the cops." And Severen stared at him. His eyes were frustrated and disbelieving, and Jesse knew what words were going to come out of his mouth before he even said them,

"She wouldn't do that, Jesse." He told him, and Jesse clicked his jaw. He remembered his previous decision. His agreement. They would stay out of it. Let Severen deal with it, and dig his own grave if he happened to. Jesse just wasn't going to let him dig five more.

"Well, you better make sure."

***

It was nearly five am there, and, with time difference in mind, it was still early morning where your parents lived. Luckily, your parents had to get up early for work. You'd talked to your dad, told him that you were having a fun time with friends. Hearing his voice filled you with a longing for home, but one that was quickly squashed by the idea of seeing the burnt remains of two of the biggest landmarks. Your father had talked a little bit about them, but he hadn't said anything regarding you. If anything, he'd be grateful that you'd gotten out of town. You told him you found some work, and we're considering staying. When he asked where you were, you answered with a town you'd already gone through in the previous state. Just in case. 

"It's a nice little waitressing job. Nice town. Kinda like home, but it's nice not to know anyone except my friends." You said, playing with the chord of the phone. Waiting for his reply.

"Well, it's not like there'd be any work back here." He said, and a wave of relief washed over you.

"Yeah," You said, laughing lightly. "Anyways, I gotta go. I love you." You told him, and you turned when you heard the door open. You grinned when you saw Severen, but he didn't look half like his chipper self. He closed the door, blocking the rising sun out. You pushed it aside, guessing that perhaps he was just tired. You were. You could feel mental and emotional exhaustion pulling at your eyelids. It's why you were glad that your father only returned you words, and then you settled the phone back into the receiver. Severen sat besides you, on your side of the bed, and you pushed his hair back away from his face as you asked, "Tired?" And he looked up and gave you a confused hum. "You don't seem like yourself." You told him, and he shook his head. Trying to snap himself out of it or denying, you didn't know. You reached to take his hand and offered, "Well, would a shower help?" And that invitation, even if it hadn't been for something more, managed to pull a small grin onto his face.

"Maybe." He said back, a teasing tone edging his voice. You grinned, reaching out to take his chin and pull him in for a kiss. He seemed to relax the moment your lips met, and he delved in for more. You pulled away with a giggle, telling him,

"Well, c'mon then."


	10. Chapter 10

You hadn't expected Severen to keep his hands to himself. The second the both of you stepped under the spray and into the shower, and he'd stepped in behind you? A hand on your ass, giving it a teasing squeeze. A second later, there was a hand cupping your breast and a thumb swiping over your nipple. A laugh left your throat, and the water seemed to rinse away any previous emotional turmoil from either of you. You heard Severen chuckle himself, leaning in to place kisses onto your shoulder and press himself against your back. You turned your head, leaning in to capture his lips in a kiss. He hummed, wrapping his arms tight around you and holding you as you enjoyed the warm water.

It took a couple of minutes before the pair of you actually started cleaning yourselves off. Severen wasn't afraid to get handsy, and he offered to help you suds yourself down. He helped you wash your hair and got your back, taking his time to massage your scalp and back as he did. You'd leaned your neck to the side as he worked your shoulder, pressing in all the right places until your back felt completely relaxed. Still, you found that he was paying particular attention to certain areas. And when you leaned over to wash your legs and feet? You felt both of his hands palming your ass and heard him ask,

"Are you trying to tease me?" And you nearly wanted to tease him back. Maybe push it further. So, you looked over your shoulder and told him,

"Maybe I am. Maybe you're just a pervert." You retorted, and he let out a scoff and a laugh. It wasn't surprising that the pair of you got sidetracked after that. 

He'd sunk to his knees behind you, groping your ass and pulling apart your cheeks. You giggled, trying to half-heartedly swat him away from where he was behind you. But when he leaned forward and slid his to the between your folds, pressing his tongue against your entrance? You moaned and reached for the slippery wall in front of you. His tongue prodded and poked at your entrance until you felt his thick tongue start to slip inside. It made you whimper and claw at the wall, and you subconsciously pushed back to push him deeper. Severen fucked you with his tongue, holding your hips and followed every twitch and spasm he caused. A low heat was simmering in your stomach, and you reached to grab one of his hands as a moan left your mouth. You pressed your head against the wall, letting it knock against the hard surface.

" _ Fuck _ , Sev." You could practically feel Severens grin, but then he was pulling away. He was massaging your clit with his hand, making a strangled moan rip from your throat as your hips bucked. You were sensitive from earlier, making the pleasure almost unbearable. Almost too much. You could feel your knees getting weaker. Your grip on the wall was futile, and you nearly slipped when his tongue went back to massaging your walls. You could feel your peak approaching, getting closer and closer the farther he pushed you. Severen caught you when you began to tip over, both literally and over the edge, and was catching you by your waist and standing to help lift you back up before you had even come back down. When you turned, you pulled him in for a desperate kiss, catching him by his face and yanking him down for more. As you kissed, you pulled away to say, "I know," You paused, sliding your lips against his. "You wanted to do something nice," He was kneading the flesh of your ass, nipping at your lips. "But it's not like you're taking my virginity, Sev." You laughed at the end, and he moaned and reconnected your lips when you reached down to touch him. 

"God, don't tempt me." He growled, picking you up and pressing your back against the wall. You wrapped your legs around his hips, a jolt of excitement going through you from the position. All it would take was a little positioning and then- But Severen was pulling away, a slight pant on his lips. He pulled away to press his forehead against yours, and whispered, "I don't wanna accidentally do something. I get a little too excited sometimes," You made a noise at that. One that he rolled his eyes at. Severens personality could be described as constantly getting too excited. "And I forget my strength." He whispered, and your hands rubbed over the slight stubble on his cheeks. A part of your heart broke at his words, at the seriousness of his tone. But you'd been on the other end of his strength once. Seen it in action. You didn't doubt that it was a little to easy to slip into at times. It didn't help that you weren't like him. That you were breakable. You held him close, and whispered,

"We could go slow. Not get you too excited." You said, and he closed his eyes and hummed at the suggestion. At the feeling of you gently petting him. He leaned in to kiss you, slow and deep. But only for a moment.

"Not right now." He whispered. "Another night." He promised. As you pet his cheeks, you could see the tiredness in his eyes. You had a feeling that the sun had risen, that it was trying to pull him under.

When the pair of you finally stepped out of the shower and toweled off to climb into bed, the sun was hanging above the horizon. You'd been right. You'd shut the curtains already, and you climbed into the familiar feeling of a motel mattress. You were already starting to get used to a different bed every night, and Severen was quick to pull you to his chest. He pressed sloppy, sleepy kisses all over your face and into your wet hair until you laughed. When the two of you fell asleep, both of you had almost forgotten your troubles from that night.

When you awoke, you wouldn't have even known that anything had happened. Everyone treated you the same, but, then again, perhaps you were a tad blinded by the brunette. You stuck to him like glue, feeling relaxed and like a storm had left your body. You'd latched onto some of his words, even if he hasn't meant for you to. You wouldn't have to change. It had been a concern in the back of your mind, that one day you'd have to do what they did. Kill another living person. Well, you knew, to some degree, that it was different for them. Humans weren't the same for them, and so it wasn't like- You stopped that train of thought. You didn't want to rationalize it, or think about it, more than you needed to. It was still murder at the end of the day.

You didn't know about the conversation Jesse had with Severen, or the second one he had when you'd stopped for gas. You'd been content to sleep in the back, not seeing the oldest of the two males talking in hushed voices away from the car.

***

Jesse didn't want to have to do this. He put his hands in his pockets, sighing as he shook his head and glanced back at the car. They were stopped in a gas station in Nevada. It was old, and it looked like all it would take was a strong gust of wind to knock the whole establishment over. But, when he looked at Severen, he knew this was causing problems. Problems none of them would speak of.

Jesse and the clan had been hard on Caleb. Perhaps a little harder than they needed to be. They hadn't expected Mae to just run out and change someone, especially someone none of them knew. They'd been against the change, against the boy. And they hadn't hid it at all. Jesse even remembered a few of the death threats they had all laid on him, but that was besides the point. The point was that they'd encouraged him, if not forced, him to fulfill the change. But, now, here he was. Watching them tolerate not just someone who refused to kill, but someone who was refusing to  _ turn _ . Just 'cause she was Severens.

Of course, there were reasons besides that. You'd been kind to them, housed them, and helped them clean up their mess. Severen didn't make this choice by himself without asking any of the rest of the group like Mae did. And, well, Severen wasn't Mae. He wasn't a four year old vampire that they had to keep in check. That didn't live up to what they turned her to be. Severen was old, almost as old as Jesse himself. It gave him more leeway, and bought you more time. But your time was running out.

Sure, they knew all had been forgiven. Caleb was one of them, and he wasn't the type to complain. He wouldn't speak out about this, but they could see it in his eye sometimes. A resentment that was beginning to grow. And while Caleb didn't like to complain, he was nearly just as stubborn as Jesse himself. And Jesse needed to snub this one out before the flame really took.

"You need to do something, Severen." He told the brunette, and Severen ran a hand through his hair. He turned away, but he didn't walk away. He knew better than that. He just couldn't remember the last time he'd had to get scolded by the elder vampire.

"I know, I know." Severen said quickly, but Jesse cut him off. No more excuses.

"Severen, if you know, then get her to turn. She can't stay with us. Its," He lowered his voice, and took a step to lean in. "It's unfair to Caleb-" But Severen was throwing out his hands, a burst of anger running through him.

"Caleb?" He was quick to say, his voice just slightly too loud. Jesse put a hand on his arm, silently telling him to keep his voice down. "What the hell does this have to do with Caleb?" Severen said, his voice an angry whisper.

"Think about it, son. We just finished forcing the kid to turn only a few months ago and it's been a week and  _ no one _ has said a word to her about it. Think about how that looks." Jesse said, and Severen was quiet for a moment. He looked at the car, where his brother was sitting with Mae. He'd glanced over, but his eyes didn't linger long. If Severen was honest, he hadn't been paying much attention to him. But, all it took was a gaze for Severen to see a hardness in his eyes. A lack of a quirk on his lips. Severen reached up to rub his jaw, and then glanced at Jesse.

He'd been the first Jesse had turned. He knew how important it was to keep the clan content. To keep things settled. One bad argument and it could be all of their asses. While being together made them more suspect to law enforcement, a pack of them was stronger than one alone. And he didn't want to be the reason for a crack in their relationship. But Severen looked at where you were sleeping. He couldn't see you, but he could practically feel where you were. He sighed.

"I'll talk to her. I'll talk to her, okay?" Severen promised, but it wasn't the promise Jesse wanted to hear. He knew what Severen wanted to do. How he wanted to wait. But Jesse had turned Diamondback when it was just the two of them. When there were less people depending on how this went. So, Jesse clapped him on the shoulder and said,

"Turn, not talk. And soon, Severen. Turn her soon." Before he was pulling away and walking back towards the car. Severen stared after him for a moment, clicking his jaw. He felt stupid. For what he'd said, for how this was going. Everything was stressful. Everything depended on him. And, in his usual fashion, he simply reacted. He wasn't one to bottle up his emotions, and so he turned around and punched the icebox. The metal dented under his hand, the sound pulling you from your sleep and catching the attention of the others. For a moment, he felt better. He felt great. It felt good to watch the way he could destroy something, and it sent a familiar jolt through him. He whipped around and clapped his hands, pointing towards the road. As if nothing had happened, he asked, 

"So, California or straight to Oregon?" 

***

When you landed in another town, you'd woken up in the brunettes arms. Same as always. It was comforting, and you nuzzled closer. You felt him shift, a hand reaching to brush your hair from your face. You knew it must've been nightfall then, and you propped your chin up on his chest.

"Evenin'." You said, and he gave you his usual smile. The pair of you brushed your teeth, got dressed, and you thought you were heading to go get the others. Apparently not. As soon as you left your room and went to go to the others, Severen was picking you up from behind and twirling you in a different direction. You squeaked, and he was quick to press a kiss to the back of your head before he took your hand.

"They're already downstairs, and I have a bone to pick with you first." He said, but you were all smiles. You didn't take him seriously, and you held his hand with both of yours. The other hand had both of your duffels in it, which he carried with ease.

"Oh, yeah?" You asked, and he gave you a grin before the pair of you headed down the stairs and went to the car. You were due for a new one, and you knew that was usually Severens department. Compared to everything he did, this pill was one of the easier ones to swallow. He stopped you before you rejoined his family, and said,

"I want you to come with me tonight." He said, and you furrowed your brows. You didn't know what he meant, so you said,

"Huh?" And he was pulling you close. Pulling you so you faced him. He brought your hands up to his face, giving one of them a kiss before he continued,

"With the car. I want you to help me pick out a new one." He said, and, after a moment, you couldn't help but grin. The look he had on his face, the one he was giving you, never failed to soften your resolve. While you weren't necessarily loving the idea and anxiety of coming with him him to commit a crime, you didn't even like the word in your head, you couldn't deny him. Especially when he grinned and swayed playfully, saying, "C'mon, it'll be fun." In that charming voice of his. So, you sighed, and leaned up to press a kiss to his lips.

"Okay," You said, watching as his grin grew bigger. He was quick to tug you close, pulling you into a kiss, and, when you broke away, you pointed at him and said, "But I'm picking the color." You told him, teasing him. 

***

Severen held you close as you drove out of town, towards the first car dealership you found. He thought that, perhaps, he could inch you closer and closer towards their lifestyle. Start with small things. 

If you helped them find their car each night, maybe other things would feel less bad. Maybe your moral compass wouldn't be set as tightly as it was. Maybe you'd see how they did these things for survival, just like how they ate each night. If you saw it that way, Severen didn't doubt that you'd come around. He just had to present it piece by piece. Inch by inch. 

You'd stopped on the side of the road, and Severen climbed out. He lit himself a cigarette, looking around and holding your hand. The pair of you walked, looking as normal as could be. An average couple in an average town. Nothing to see. 

If anything, you made him blend in more. A man walking alone at night. Sure, not everyone was smart. Some people would pick up hitch-hikers even after the sixties and seventies. But the world had changed. It'd seen serial killers. Dahmer, Bundy, Gacy. While there would always be people that looked over the little details, weren't as quite as smart as they could've been, they were becoming fewer and fewer. It's why they'd resorted to hunting in public places. Burning down diners and bars. Less and less people were willing to pick up a lone man anymore.

But with you? You made him approachable. Less threatening. A lone man was threatening, but a happy couple? Not at all. 

Hell, he bet he could be picked up double the amount if it was you that stuck out your thumb. And he knew that, somewhere, there was an instinct inside you. For survival. To do what you needed to do. He'd seen you angry before, he knew you were capable of snapping. He just had to find it. Draw it out. And as quickly as he could.

The two of you walked to the lot, and you copied him when he ducked down. You looked around, and you picked out a station wagon. Much like the one you'd used to have. Severen had laughed to himself, shaking his head. He rounded the car and you followed. He whispered,

"Keep lookout." As he rose to his full height. You seemed nervous, and he could hear your heart beating out of your chest. But you nodded and did what you were told, and it gave him the time to jimmy the straightened out hanger he had and lift up the lock. After doing it for so many years, he could do it first try every time. When he did it, he looked at you and he could see how you were slightly impressed. It made him swell with pride.

He opened the door and then nodded for you to get in the passager side as he unlocked the rest of the doors. You got in, watching him as he hotwired the car and then pulled it out of the lot. When you finally got out of the lot and onto the road, he heard you let out a long breath. The both of you looked at eachother and Severen said,

"Not too bad, right?" He asked, and you nodded. He grinned to himself, proud that nothing had gone wrong. You followed behind Jesse and the others, and stuck around to watch them burn the retired car. The pair of you sat in the front, with your head on Severens shoulder as you watched the flames. The pair of you were quiet for a moment, before you turned your head to look up at him. When your eyes met, Severen couldn't help the smile that came into his face. Though, you did give him a bit of a shock when you said,

"Y'know that nice thing you were planning?" You asked. He nodded. He did. "Can we do that tonight?" And Severen found himself sucking in a breath at the idea.


End file.
